Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Lowers Stock Holdings in Lam Research Corporation $LRCX

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lessened its stake in Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 661,673 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 12,223 shares during the quarter. Lam Research comprises approximately 0.5% of Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Lam Research were worth $286,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LRCX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Lam Research by 1,032.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,189 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 12,936 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Lam Research in the first quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Gabelli Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lam Research in the second quarter valued at approximately $253,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lam Research by 2.7% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 100,528 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $9,785,000 after acquiring an additional 2,661 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lam Research by 5,206.7% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 796 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. 84.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Lam Research

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lam Research broke ground on a 120,000-square-foot Oregon semiconductor laboratory as part of a planned investment of more than $3 billion in its global lab network over five years. The project is intended to accelerate process innovations for advanced AI chips and improve collaboration with customers, supporting the company’s long-term growth prospects. Lam Research breaks ground on AI semiconductor lab in Oregon
• Positive Sentiment: The board approved a 27% increase in the quarterly dividend, from $0.26 to $0.33 per share. The payout is scheduled for October 14, 2026, for shareholders of record on September 23, providing a modest shareholder-return signal. Lam Research Corporation Announces a 27% Increase in Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Lam’s latest earnings exceeded consensus expectations, with quarterly earnings per share of $1.82 versus the $1.69 estimate and revenue of $6.72 billion. Revenue increased 30% year over year, while management issued fiscal first-quarter 2027 EPS guidance of $2.00 to $2.30. Analysts’ median price target remains substantially above recent trading levels, although Mizuho recently lowered its target to $365.
• Neutral Sentiment: Two long-serving directors, Michael R. Cannon and Sohail U. Ahmed, plan to retire from the board on November 2, 2026. The transition could refresh governance but introduces some near-term uncertainty regarding board composition. Lam Research Announces Retirement of Michael R. Cannon and Sohail U. Ahmed from Board of Directors
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear increasingly concerned about tariffs, export restrictions and other U.S.-China trade measures. China was Lam’s largest geographic market in fiscal 2026, making the company particularly sensitive to policy changes that could reduce demand, hurt margins or disrupt its supply chain. These macro concerns have overshadowed the dividend increase and Oregon expansion. Lam Research Slides as China Trade Risk Appears to Outweigh Dividend Hike
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity shows selling rather than buying by executives and directors over the past six months, which may reinforce caution among investors, though such transactions can reflect personal financial planning rather than a view on company fundamentals.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Lam Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lam Research from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (down from $450.00) on shares of Lam Research in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Lam Research from $325.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $475.00 price objective (up from $385.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.31.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Neil J. Fernandes sold 7,659 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.60, for a total value of $2,371,226.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 58,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,102,312. This trade represents a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Abhijit Y. Talwalkar sold 18,282 shares of Lam Research stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.00, for a total transaction of $6,124,470.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 87,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,192,570. This trade represents a 17.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 80,441 shares of company stock valued at $27,614,296. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lam Research Trading Down 5.2%

Shares of NASDAQ LRCX opened at $301.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $377.77 billion, a PE ratio of 52.41, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.84. Lam Research Corporation has a twelve month low of $94.11 and a twelve month high of $438.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $330.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $289.14.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The semiconductor company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Lam Research had a return on equity of 67.60% and a net margin of 31.27%.Lam Research’s revenue was up 30.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. Lam Research has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.000-2.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Lam Research Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Lam Research’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 23rd. Lam Research’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.06%.

Lam Research Profile

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.

Lam’s product portfolio covers core process technologies employed by logic and memory manufacturers, with equipment designed to support advanced-node patterning, 3D NAND and other emerging device architectures.