Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) Stock

24 Apr 2026, 10:02 by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $260.00 to $293.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the semiconductor company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 9.67% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on LRCX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Lam Research from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. HSBC upped their price target on Lam Research from $181.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group set a $300.00 price objective on Lam Research in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore upped their target price on Lam Research from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Thursday. Twenty-six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.65.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Lam Research

Lam Research Trading Up 0.6%

LRCX opened at $267.16 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.78, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.61. Lam Research has a 12 month low of $67.55 and a 12 month high of $273.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $234.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $197.02.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $5.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.70 billion. Lam Research had a net margin of 30.94% and a return on equity of 67.07%. The business’s revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. Lam Research has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.500-1.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Lam Research will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eric Brandt sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.60, for a total transaction of $7,896,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 253,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,235,848. The trade was a 12.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Douglas R. Bettinger sold 50,057 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.03, for a total value of $11,214,269.71. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1,081,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $242,334,371.15. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 130,886 shares of company stock valued at $29,658,802 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LRCX. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Lam Research during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in Lam Research in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Bayban purchased a new position in Lam Research in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Lam Research in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Lam Research during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. 84.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Lam Research

Here are the key news stories impacting Lam Research this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat and management raised Q4 guidance — Lam posted $1.47 EPS on $5.84B revenue (beats) and issued Q4 EPS guidance of $1.50–1.80 with revenue guidance above consensus; the print and outlook underpin the rally. Press Release / Slide Deck
Positive Sentiment: AI demand driving revenue and margin expansion — Company commentary and analyst notes point to record support sales and strong AI-driven wafer fab equipment demand boosting near-term revenues and margins. Yahoo: Sales surprise & AI demand
Positive Sentiment: Broad analyst upgrades and big price-target hikes — Multiple firms (TD Cowen, Berenberg, Susquehanna, Jefferies, Mizuho, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc.) raised targets and reiterated Buy/Outperform ratings, signaling higher consensus expectations for multi-year WFE (wafer fab equipment) demand. InsiderMonkey: Analyst raises roundup
Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan and other flagship calls highlight a sustained supercycle — JPMorgan raised its target to $315 and argues the report resets the multi-year WFE framework, supporting further upside. 247WallSt: JPMorgan $315 target
Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage and earnings-call transcripts available for deeper due diligence — Investors can review the call transcript and slide deck to assess demand sustainability, book-to-bill, and inventory commentary. Seeking Alpha: Earnings transcript
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage asking if the rally leaves little upside — Several articles question valuation after a large one‑year run and suggest investors weigh future growth vs. rich multiples. Yahoo: Is it too late after 300% surge?
Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns flagged by some analysts/commentators — Commentary warns the AI upcycle is real but that the stock’s steep run-up makes it expensive relative to forward multiples, which could cap near-term gains if growth slows. Seeking Alpha: Valuation critique
Neutral Sentiment: Short-term news flow: trading headlines and summaries — Markets reported the stock trading up after the beat; daily moves will likely track further flow of orders, analyst reactions and any update to supply-chain or backlog commentary. AmericanBankingNews: Trading headlines

About Lam Research

(Get Free Report)

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a global supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Founded in 1980 by David K. Lam and headquartered in Fremont, California, the company develops and manufactures systems used in multiple stages of semiconductor device production, including thin film deposition, plasma etch, wafer cleaning and related process modules and automation.