MMarketMath

LRCX

StalwartQuality: High (87/100)1 red flag

Lam Research · Information Technology · Semiconductor Materials & Equipment

$310.17

52w 94.11 – 438.50

20y monthly, adjusted

Mkt cap

$388.1B

P/E

56.5

P/FCF

83.9

FCF yield

1.2%

ROE

58.3%

Shldr yield

1.2%

div 0.3% + bb 0.9%

What today's price assumes

At $388.1B, the market is pricing in 27.4% annual free-cash-flow growth for the next decade (10% discount rate, 2.5% terminal growth). Over the last ten years, FCF actually grew 15.3% per year — the price asks for acceleration beyond the historical record.

Simple DCF per-share range: $60 · $134 · $171 (4% / base / optimistic growth). An estimate, not a target.

Adjust the assumptions yourself →

Historical multiple lens

At its own median P/OCF of 14.0× across 17 years, LRCX would trade near $66/share (25th–75th percentile: $46–$99); it trades at 66.3× today.

Assumes the historical multiple regime persists — re-ratings can be permanent.

Growth record

Compound annual growth rates from as-filed 10-K data, split-adjusted

Rev 3y

+10.1%

Rev 5y

+9.7%

Rev 10y

+14.7%

EPS 5y

+15.6%

EPS 10y

+26.7%

FCF 5y

+8.6%

FCF 10y

+15.3%

Fundamentals

Fiscal 2009–2026, from SEC filings

Revenue

2009: $1.1B
2010: $2.1B
2011: $3.2B
2012: $2.7B
2013: $3.6B
2014: $4.6B
2015: $5.3B
2016: $5.9B
2017: $8.0B
2018: $11.1B
2019: $9.7B
2020: $10.0B
2021: $14.6B
2022: $17.2B
2023: $17.4B
2024: $14.9B
2025: $18.4B
2026: $23.2B
$0$10.0B$20.0B
09
12
15
18
21
24

Net income

2009: −$302.1M
2010: $346.7M
2011: $723.7M
2012: $168.7M
2013: $113.9M
2014: $632.3M
2015: $655.6M
2016: $914.0M
2017: $1.7B
2018: $2.4B
2019: $2.2B
2020: $2.3B
2021: $3.9B
2022: $4.6B
2023: $4.5B
2024: $3.8B
2025: $5.4B
2026: $7.3B
$0$2.0B$4.0B$6.0B
09
12
15
18
21
24

Free cash flow

2009: −$122.4M
2010: $315.1M
2011: $753.5M
2012: $391.8M
2013: $559.1M
2014: $571.5M
2015: $587.2M
2016: $1.2B
2017: $1.9B
2018: $2.4B
2019: $2.9B
2020: $1.9B
2021: $3.2B
2022: $2.6B
2023: $4.7B
2024: $4.3B
2025: $5.4B
2026: $4.9B
$0$2.0B$4.0B
09
12
15
18
21
24

Diluted shares (lower is better)

2009: 1.2B
2010: 1.2B
2011: 1.2B
2012: 1.2B
2013: 1.7B
2014: 1.7B
2015: 1.7B
2016: 1.7B
2017: 1.8B
2018: 1.7B
2019: 1.5B
2020: 1.4B
2021: 1.4B
2022: 1.4B
2023: 1.4B
2024: 1.3B
2025: 1.3B
2026: 1.3B
0500.0M1.0B1.5B
09
12
15
18
21
24

Margins

-25%0%25%50%091215182124
Net marginFCF marginGross margin

Capital returned (dividends + buybacks)

2009: $30.9M
2010: $93.0M
2011: $211.3M
2012: $772.7M
2013: $955.7M
2014: $244.9M
2015: $689.3M
2016: $348.8M
2017: $1.1B
2018: $3.0B
2019: $4.5B
2020: $2.0B
2021: $3.4B
2022: $4.7B
2023: $2.9B
2024: $3.9B
2025: $4.6B
2026: $5.1B
$0$2.0B$4.0B
09
12
15
18
21
24

Cash vs long-term debt

$0$2.0B$4.0B$6.0B091215182124
CashLT debt

Quarterly

Discrete quarters from 10-Q filings; Q4 derived as fiscal year minus Q1–Q3. OCF is unwound from the year-to-date figures 10-Qs report. Compare to the same quarter a year ago — most businesses are seasonal.

Revenue by quarter

Q4'23: $3.2B
Q1'24: $3.5B
Q2'24: $3.8B
Q3'24: $3.8B
Q4'24: $3.9B
Q1'25: $4.2B
Q2'25: $4.4B
Q3'25: $4.7B
Q4'25: $5.2B
Q1'26: $5.3B
Q2'26: $5.3B
Q3'26: $5.8B
Q4'26: $6.7B
$0$2.0B$4.0B$6.0B
23
24
25
26
26

Net income by quarter

Q4'23: $802.5M
Q1'24: $887.4M
Q2'24: $954.3M
Q3'24: $965.8M
Q4'24: $1.0B
Q1'25: $1.1B
Q2'25: $1.2B
Q3'25: $1.3B
Q4'25: $1.7B
Q1'26: $1.6B
Q2'26: $1.6B
Q3'26: $1.8B
Q4'26: $2.3B
$0$1.0B$2.0B
23
24
25
26
26
QuarterRevenueYoYNet incomeYoYEPSOCF
Q4'26 *$6.7B+30.0%$2.3B+32.4%1.81$1.5B
Q3'26$5.8B+23.8%$1.8B+37.2%1.45$1.1B
Q2'26$5.3B+22.1%$1.6B+33.8%1.26$1.5B
Q1'26$5.3B+27.7%$1.6B+40.5%1.24$1.8B
Q4'25 *$5.2B+33.6%$1.7B+68.6%1.34$2.6B
Q3'25$4.7B+24.4%$1.3B+37.8%1.03$1.3B
Q2'25$4.4B+16.4%$1.2B+24.8%0.92$741.9M
Q1'25$4.2B+19.7%$1.1B+25.8%0.86$1.6B
Q4'24 *$3.9B+20.7%$1.0B+27.1%0.78$862.4M
Q3'24$3.8B−2.0%$965.8M+18.7%0.73$1.4B
Q2'24$3.8B−28.8%$954.3M−35.0%0.72$1.5B
Q1'24$3.5B−31.4%$887.4M−37.8%0.67$951.2M
Q4'23 *$3.2B−30.8%$802.5M−33.6%-23.85$1.1B

Track record

Compound annual growth by period. For debt and share count, negative is the good direction.

Series3y5y10y15y
Revenue+10.1%+9.7%+14.7%+14.0%
Operating cash flow+4.2%+10.3%+15.8%+13.5%
Free cash flow+1.5%+8.6%+15.3%+13.3%
EPS (diluted)+20.2%+15.6%+26.7%+16.3%
Equity+15.0%+15.7%+7.8%+11.4%
LT debt−9.2%−5.6%+1.0%+9.9%
Diluted shares−2.4%−2.1%−2.9%+0.3%
Stock price+65.5%+40.1%+43.9%+35.8%

$100, 3 years ago

$454vs $176 in SPY

65.5% vs 20.7%/yr

$100, 5 years ago

$540vs $181 in SPY

40.1% vs 12.6%/yr

$100, 10 years ago

$3,806vs $412 in SPY

43.9% vs 15.2%/yr

$100, 15 years ago

$9,838vs $813 in SPY

35.8% vs 15.0%/yr

The $1 test — market value created per $1 of earnings retained (Buffett's hurdle: at least $1)

Last 5 years

$13.95

$284.6B created / $20.4B retained

Last 10 years

$11.79

$356.3B created / $30.2B retained

Quality & capital discipline

Cash-based returns and how management deploys capital

Cash ROIC

36.2%

OCF ÷ (equity + debt)

OCF / EV yield

1.4%

MC vs 10× OCF

7.01

≤1 = priced under 10× OCF

Debt / FCF

0.8y

SBC / FCF

7.9%

Owner earnings

$4.5B

OCF − capex − SBC

OE yield

1.1%

Share count 5y

+0.2%

per year; negative = buybacks

Capital intensity

12.6%

net PP&E ÷ revenue

Sales efficiency

$0.19

new PP&E per $1 new revenue, 5y

Growth engine (5y): reinvested 16.2% of operating cash flow at an incremental return of 56.1% — an organically fundable growth rate of about 9.1% per year (growth ≈ reinvestment rate × incremental ROIC).

Checklist

21 of 27 checks pass · 78%. Checks with structurally missing inputs are excluded.

Growth & Consistency

7/7

  • Revenue growth

    9.7% · 5y CAGR ≥ 5%

    pass
  • EPS growth

    15.6% · 5y CAGR ≥ 5%

    pass
  • FCF growth

    8.6% · 5y CAGR ≥ 5%

    pass
  • Revenue rises consistently

    7 of 9 · up in ≥ 7 of last 10 years

    pass
  • FCF consistently positive

    10 of 10 · positive in ≥ 8 of last 10 years

    pass
  • Profitable every year

    10 of 10 · net income > 0 in ≥ 8 of last 10

    pass
  • Cash flow keeps up with sales

    10.3% vs 9.7% · OCF CAGR ≥ 0.9× revenue CAGR

    pass

Profitability

6/7

  • Net margin

    31.3% · ≥ 8%

    pass
  • Operating margin

    35.3% · ≥ 10%

    pass
  • Gross margin stable or rising

    50.5% vs 44.6% · no drop > 2 pts over 3y

    pass
  • Return on equity

    58.3% · ≥ 12%

    pass
  • Cash ROIC

    36.2% · ≥ 12%

    pass
  • FCF margin

    21.1% · ≥ 5%

    pass
  • Earnings back their cash

    OCF $5.9B vs NI $7.3B · OCF ≥ net income (latest FY)

    fail

Balance Sheet

5/5

  • Debt payable from cash flow

    0.8y · LT debt ≤ 3× FCF

    pass
  • Cash cushion

    150% · cash ≥ 50% of LT debt

    pass
  • Leverage

    0.30 · LT debt ≤ 1.5× equity

    pass
  • Equity positive and compounding

    $12.5B · equity > 0 and grew over ~5y

    pass
  • Interest burden

    2% · interest ≤ 15% of operating income

    pass

Capital Allocation

3/4

  • Share count flat or shrinking

    0.2% · ≤ +0.5%/yr over ~5y

    pass
  • Stock comp restrained

    8% · SBC ≤ 15% of FCF

    pass
  • Distributions funded by FCF

    105% · dividends + buybacks ≤ 100% of FCF

    fail
  • Repurchases are a habit

    10 of 10 · buybacks in ≥ 5 of last 10 years

    pass

Valuation Discipline

0/4

  • FCF yield

    1.2% · ≥ 3%

    fail
  • Earnings multiple

    56.5 · P/E ≤ 25

    fail
  • Price asks less than history delivered

    27.4% vs 15.3% · implied FCF growth ≤ historical FCF CAGR

    fail
  • Shareholder yield

    1.2% · dividends + buybacks ≥ 2% of market cap

    fail

Red flags

Mechanical checks — a flag is a question to investigate, not a verdict

Distributions exceed FCF

Dividends plus buybacks exceeded free cash flow in the latest fiscal year.

Financial data

As filed in 10-Ks; per-share figures split-adjusted. $ in millions.

FYRevenueGross profitOp incomeNet incomeEPSOCFCapExFCFDividendsBuybacksSBCCashLT debtEquityShares
202623,23311,7258,2007,2655.765,8589664,8911,2713,8513865,5793,72212,4711,261
202518,4368,9795,9015,3584.156,1737595,4141,1503,4223436,3913,7209,8621,290
202414,9057,0534,2643,8282.904,6523974,2561,0192,8432935,8484,4668,5391,320
202317,4297,7775,1754,5113.325,1795024,6779082,0172875,3374,9658,2101,358
202217,2277,8725,3824,6053.393,1005462,5548153,8662593,5224,9626,2781,358
202114,6266,8054,4823,9082.783,5883493,2397272,6982204,4184,9616,0271,404
202010,0454,6092,6742,2521.562,1262031,9236571,3701894,9154,9595,1721,440
20199,6544,3582,4652,1911.423,1763032,8736783,7811873,6583,7684,6741,545
201811,0775,1653,2132,3811.362,6562732,3823082,6531724,5121,7606,5021,746
20178,0143,6031,9021,6980.962,0291571,8722438121502,3781,7796,8171,775
20165,8862,6191,0749140.541,3501751,1751901581425,0393,3785,8951,692
20155,2592,2847886560.387861985871165731351,5029945,1031,710
20144,6072,0076786320.3771714657202451041,4538075,0301,686
20133,5991,4031181140.07720161559956991,1627774,4891,675
20122,6651,0842381690.14499107392773821,5657495,1321,210
20113,2381,4978047240.60881127754211531,4929012,4701,208
20102,1349704253470.2835136315935054671,7681,238
20091,116389-281-302-0.25-7844-12231533741,4531,213

Some concepts are structurally absent for certain industries (banks report no gross profit or capex). Missing ≠ zero.