December 14, 2023
Top 10 Stock Lam Research Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Lam Research – Top 10 Stock in SDG 13: Climate Action
Lam Research is listed as a top 10 stock on December 14, 2023 in the market index SDG 13 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is below average and thus a signal for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 58 (high 58% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Lam Research on December 14, 2023.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Semiconductor Equipment |
| Index | Dividends USA, Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, Human Rights, Recycling, SDG 10, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Lam Research Buy
| 360 METRICS | December 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 63 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 97 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 20 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 39 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 58 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 58 (better than 58% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Lam Research are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Lam Research. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 63, which means that the share price of Lam Research is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 63% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 97, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 39. Professional investors are more confident in 61% other stocks. Worryingly, the company has risky financing, with a Safety rank of 20. This means 80% of comparable companies have a safer financing structure than Lam Research. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 58, Lam Research is better positioned than 58% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Even though half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, namely the Value Rank at 63 and the Growth Rank above-average at 97, the picture is still mixed. The professional investor community is skeptical, with the Sentiment Rank below-average at 39. In addition, the company financing structure is on the riskier side (Safety Rank of 20). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. One may be tempted by above-average growth, but that could also change quickly, as past performance is not a good indicator of future performance. Since the financing structure is on the risky side, investors should be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Lam Research only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 39 (better than 39% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Lam Research is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Lam Research. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 30 (worse than 70% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. But they are changing their opinions! Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 50, which means that stock research experts are more positive in their investment recommendations in the company. In other words, they are getting more optimistic of stock investments in Lam Research. More encouragingly, the Professional Investors rank is 77, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 77% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. But Market Pulse is on the lower side with a rank of 42, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 58% of competitors). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 39 (less encouraging than 61% compared with investment alternatives), Lam Research has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. The sentiment signals are mixed for Lam Research. While analysts and the news channels are negative, there is a change in what analysts think. Above-average institutional investors in this company support them. Sentiment signals remain mixed with analysts and news channels pessimistic, though improving, and professional investors above average. ...read more
Value Strategy: Lam Research Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% compared with alternatives), Lam Research shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Lam Research. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 53 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 53% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Lam Research's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 11, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 11% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 68% of alternatives (only 32% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 9% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 63, is a buy recommendation based on Lam Research's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Lam Research Growth Momentum high
| GROWTH METRICS | December 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 78 |
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| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 50 |
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| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 81 |
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| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 93 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 97 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 97 (better than 97% compared with alternatives) for 2023, Lam Research shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for Lam Research. Sales Growth has a value of 78, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 78% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 50 and for Capital Growth with 81. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 93, which means they have been higher than 93% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 97, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Lam Research exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Lam Research Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | December 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 20 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 31 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 66 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 20 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 20 (better than 20% compared with alternatives), the company Lam Research has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Lam Research is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Lam Research. Liquidity is at 66, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 66% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 31, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 69% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 20, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 80% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with alternatives), Lam Research has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: Lam Research Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | December 14, 2023 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 63 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 97 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 66 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 68 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 68 (better than 68% compared with investment alternatives), Lam Research (Semiconductor Equipment, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lam Research are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 63 (better than 63% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 97) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 20), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 68, is a buy recommendation based on Lam Research's financial characteristics. As the company Lam Research's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 63) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 97), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 20) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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