Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Shares Up 6.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) rose 6.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $241.60 and last traded at $235.88. 10,912,856 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 10,971,823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.39.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LRCX has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lam Research from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $345.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Fundamental Research set a $390.00 price target on Lam Research in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Zacks Research lowered Lam Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $339.00 price objective on shares of Lam Research and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Twenty-six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lam Research currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.57.

Read Our Latest Report on Lam Research

Lam Research Stock Up 6.1%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $281.18 and a 200-day moving average of $283.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $294.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.97.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The semiconductor company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $8.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.14 billion. Lam Research had a return on equity of 72.15% and a net margin of 32.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 54.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.26 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lam Research Corporation will post 9.60 earnings per share for the current year.

Lam Research Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.67%.

Lam Research declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 5th that allows the company to buy back $25 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to buy up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Lam Research

In other news, insider Ava Harter sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.46, for a total value of $1,512,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 42,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,843,056.52. This trade represents a 10.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Bethany Mayer sold 9,557 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.74, for a total value of $3,007,970.18. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,607,966.30. This represents a 31.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 14,573 shares of company stock worth $4,523,606 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lam Research

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LRCX. William Mack & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Lam Research in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Paladin Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. grew its position in shares of Lam Research by 100.0% in the third quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 100 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lam Research during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. 84.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lam Research Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lam Research is a global supplier of equipment and services used to manufacture semiconductors. Its products help chipmakers create and process the microscopic structures that form integrated circuits. The company’s wafer fabrication equipment is used for processes including etch, thin-film deposition and wafer cleaning. Lam also provides services such as equipment maintenance, upgrades, spare parts and other support for chip manufacturing operations. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Fremont, California, Lam Research serves semiconductor manufacturers around the world.

Further Reading

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