Signal Ledger valuation · LRCX
Lam Research Corp
What the shares are worth today on our research (management’s own targets for each business, plus our judgment calls): every line valued at the end of FY2030, net debt rolled forward, then discounted back to Sep 27, 2026.
- Business value at FY2030
- $173B
- FY2030 revenue
- $36B
- FY2030 EPS · P/E
- $11.77 · 15×
- Discount rate (WACC · equity)
- 9.80% · 9.87%
Latest quarter in this research: Q1 FY2027
Reported Oct 21, 2026 for the quarter to Sep 27, 2026 (company release ↗). This valuation already reflects these results (researched Oct 23, 2026).
| Segment | Revenue | vs a year ago | Operating income | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems | $5.73B | +62% | — | — |
| Customer Support and Other | $2.49B | +40% | — | — |
- Revenue$8.219418B, GAAP operating margin 39.95%; this is not a cycle-trough profit starting point.
- December-quarter revenue guide$8.60B±$0.40B and GAAP operating margin 40.5%±1pp.
- Quarterly repurchases$1.011B; September 27 common shares 1.249145B. Future buybacks are not assumed.
- Latest presentation expectsCY2027 support revenue growth>15% and customer visibility through 2028; neither is a new consolidated FY2028/2030 dollar target.
What each business is worth
| Business | Model | FY2030 revenue | Value today | Per share | 2030 multiple | Value from beyond FY2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems | Margin | $24B | $106B | $84.78 | 11.0× EBIT | 59% |
| Customer Support and Other | Margin | $12B | $52B | $41.24 | 11.0× EBIT | 59% |
| All businesses | $36B | $157B | $126.03 |
Our judgment calls
Where the evidence leaves room for judgment, we make the call ourselves and say why (Signal Ledger, Oct 21, 2026). These 2 calls are part of the valuation above; every other input follows the research file and the published rules.
| Assumption | Our call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Systems: FY2030 revenue | $24B | Held at the FY2027 level instead of falling to $13.9B. Lam's only long-term revenue target, $25–27B for calendar 2028 (2025 Investor Day, https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_lamresearch2/1436/Lam%20Research%202025%20Investor%20Day%20FINAL2.pdf), is already below the current run rate: September-quarter revenue was $8.22B with $8.60B guided for December (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/707549/000070754926000052/lrcx_exhibitx991xq1x2027.htm). A superseded target should not force a 40% decline. Wafer-fab equipment is cyclical, so we assume no growth beyond the FY2027 level rather than extending this year's ~60% Systems growth. |
| Customer Support and Other: FY2030 revenue | $12B | Held at the FY2027 level instead of falling to $8.4B, for the same reason as Systems: the 2025 Investor Day target for calendar 2028 is below today's run rate (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/707549/000070754926000052/lrcx_exhibitx991xq1x2027.htm). Support revenue follows the installed base, which keeps growing after the current build-out; holding it flat is conservative. |
From 2030 back to today
- Enterprise value at end of FY2030$173B
- Plus net cash at FY2030$44B
- Equity value at FY2030$217B
- ÷ (1 + 9.87%)^3.8 years at the cost of equity$152B
- + dividends paid on the way, discounted$4.4B
This reconciliation checks the published Signal Ledger valuation against the net-debt path. The difference is 2.8%, inside our 5% tolerance.
From businesses to one share
- All businesses, valued today$157B
- − borrowings$3.7B
- − finance leases$0B
- + cash and short-term investments$7.4B
- ÷ diluted shares1.249B
- Signal Ledger valuation$128.99
Year by year to FY2030
| Fiscal year | Revenue | EBITDA | Capex | Free cash flow | Net debt at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2027part already reported | $36B | $13B | $1.5B | $9.9B | $10B cash |
| FY2028 | $36B | $14B | $1.5B | $11B | $20B cash |
| FY2029 | $36B | $15B | $1.5B | $12B | $31B cash |
| FY2030 | $36B | $16B | $1.5B | $13B | $44B cash |
What must be true
- Systems holds revenue roughly flat, from $24.1B in FY2027 to $24.1B in FY2030.
- Customer Support and Other holds revenue roughly flat, from $11.7B in FY2027 to $11.7B in FY2030.
- Systems raises its EBIT margin from 35.3% to 44.0%.
- Customer Support and Other raises its EBIT margin from 35.3% to 44.0%.
- The company spends $6.0B of capital expenditure through FY2030.
- The company stays net cash throughout (lowest point $3.7B of net cash in FY2026).
What the price implies
To reach $230.15 at our discount rate, Lam Research Corp would need about $67.9B of FY2030 sales (growth of about 30.7% a year from FY2026) with 44.0% GAAP EBIT margin — versus $35.7B and 44.0% GAAP EBIT margin in our research.
At the research price of $230.15 (2026-10-23), the price asks more than our assumptions overall. These are operating requirements at that price, not additional valuations or forecasts.
If sales and margins changed together
Each row matches the same research price at our unchanged discount rate, by scaling every operating line's margin by one common factor. Sales cover margin and capacity lines only; other valuation lines stay fixed. Margins are revenue-weighted within each metric, before separately modeled corporate costs and eliminations. The conclusion uses the row at our research margins when sales alone can match the price, otherwise the solved row needing the least sales growth; this is a trade-off between growth and profitability, not a forecast.
| FY2030 sales factor | FY2030 sales | FY2026–30 CAGR | Required FY2030 margin | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.50× | $53.6B | 23.2% | — | InfeasibleCannot reach the price within 50% EBIT / 100% EBITDA limits. |
| 1.90×At research margins | $67.9B | 30.7% | 44.0% GAAP EBIT | Within margin guardrails |
| 2.00× | $71.5B | 32.4% | 42.0% GAAP EBIT | Within margin guardrails |
| 3.00× | $107.2B | 46.6% | 29.4% GAAP EBIT | Within margin guardrails |
CAGR uses $23.2B of same-scope FY2026 sales from the published model or its sourced research base, over four fiscal years. “Within margin guardrails” checks numeric limits only, not commercial plausibility. Each line and year must stay at or below 50.0% GAAP EBIT and 100% EBITDA, or our research margin where that is higher; capacity EBIT uses the engine's equipment depreciation. Unsolved margins are not extrapolated.
- Implied discount rate
- 6.7%
- All-business FY2030 sales factor
- 1.90×
The WACC that makes model value equal the price, shifting WACC and cost of equity by the same amount. Model: 9.8% WACC · 9.9% cost of equity.
FY2030 revenue would need to reach $67.9B (model: $35.7B) across the margin and capacity businesses. FY1 stays fixed; the sales change ramps to FY2030 and stays at that factor thereafter.
If only one business changed
Businesses with margin or capacity revenue paths, ordered by value today. Revenue and margin are separate alternatives; these requirements are not added together.
Systems
- Revenue alone
- FY2030 revenue would need to reach $54.1B (model: $24.1B).
- Margin alone
FY2030 EBIT margin would need to reach 93.2% (model: 44.0%).
Customer Support and Other
- Revenue alone
- FY2030 revenue would need to reach $41.8B (model: $11.7B).
- Margin alone
FY2030 EBIT margin would need to reach 145.2% (model: 44.0%).
Mechanical requirements, not forecasts. The separate sales-only and single-business factors are searched from 0.1× to 6×; an unsolved comparison means this business alone cannot get there within those bounds. Single-business revenue changes apply from FY2 onward; margin changes scale the full EBIT or EBITDA margin path. Mixed groups show revenue-weighted EBIT and EBITDA margins separately. Requirements above 100% are not feasible margins. Joint rows instead search non-negative uniform margin factors only up to the EBIT/EBITDA guardrails; the entire margin path scales, including post-FY2030 convergence. Sales and margins change together only in that table. The rate search runs from the largest terminal growth rate plus 0.5 percentage points to 30% WACC.
The discount rate
- Cost of equity
- 9.87%
- WACC
- 9.80%
- 10-year Treasury · model / spot
- 3.87% · 5.13%
r_f 3.87% (5-year average 10-year Treasury yield 3.87% (spot 5.13% on 2026-10-21)) + β 1.20 after Blume adjustment × 5%, rounded to 0.01% (1bp)
methodology §4.5: market-weighted WACC, not rounded
The model uses the recorded 5-year average Treasury yield. The spot yield is shown for context.
Every input, with its source
Show 20 inputs · reported, guidance and rule-based
| Input | Value | Basis | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue FY2027Systems | $24.1B | Reported | target (methodology §4.2), growth 61.6% filecache.investorroom.com ↗ |
| Revenue FY2030Systems | $24.1B | Rule | Signal Ledger judgment: Held at the FY2027 level instead of falling to $13.9B. Lam's only long-term revenue target, $25–27B for calendar 2028 (2025 Investor Day, https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_lamresearch2/1436/Lam%20Research%202025%20Investor%20Day%20FINAL2.pdf), is already below the current run rate: September-quarter revenue was $8.22B with $8.60B guided for December (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/707549/000070754926000052/lrcx_exhibitx991xq1x2027.htm). A superseded target should not force a 40% decline. Wafer-fab equipment is cyclical, so we assume no growth beyond the FY2027 level rather than extending this year's ~60% Systems growth. Our judgment calls · Read methodology ↗ |
| EBIT margin FY2030Systems | 44.0% | Guidance | linear path to 44.0% by FY2030 (management target) fool.com ↗ · investor.lamresearch.com ↗ |
| Maintenance capexSystems | 4.2% | Reported | Cash capex plus finance-lease additions divided by FY2026 revenue. sec.gov ↗ |
| Terminal growthSystems | 3.0% | Rule | methodology §4.2 terminal growth for a growth line Valuation methodology §4.2 · Read methodology ↗ |
| Revenue FY2027Customer Support and Other | $11.7B | Reported | target (methodology §4.2), growth 40.0% filecache.investorroom.com ↗ |
| Revenue FY2030Customer Support and Other | $11.7B | Rule | Signal Ledger judgment: Held at the FY2027 level instead of falling to $8.4B, for the same reason as Systems: the 2025 Investor Day target for calendar 2028 is below today's run rate (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/707549/000070754926000052/lrcx_exhibitx991xq1x2027.htm). Support revenue follows the installed base, which keeps growing after the current build-out; holding it flat is conservative. Our judgment calls · Read methodology ↗ |
| EBIT margin FY2030Customer Support and Other | 44.0% | Guidance | linear path to 44.0% by FY2030 (management target) fool.com ↗ · investor.lamresearch.com ↗ |
| Maintenance capexCustomer Support and Other | 4.2% | Reported | Cash capex plus finance-lease additions divided by FY2026 revenue. sec.gov ↗ |
| Terminal growthCustomer Support and Other | 3.0% | Rule | methodology §4.2 terminal growth for a growth line Valuation methodology §4.2 · Read methodology ↗ |
| YTD revenue through 2026-09-27Systems | $5.732907B | Reported | Q1 FY2027 Systems reported product revenue through the September 27 balance-sheet T0. Product EBIT is not disclosed; omitted EBIT/D&A/capex retain the existing estimates. sec.gov ↗ |
| YTD revenue through 2026-09-27Customer Support and Other | $2.486511B | Reported | Q1 FY2027 Customer Support and Other reported product revenue through the September 27 balance-sheet T0. Product EBIT is not disclosed; omitted EBIT/D&A/capex retain the existing estimates. sec.gov ↗ |
| WACCDiscount rates | 9.80% | Rule | methodology §4.5: market-weighted WACC, not rounded FRED DGS10 2021-10-20..2026-10-21 |
| Cost of equityDiscount rates | 9.87% | Rule | r_f 3.87% (5-year average 10-year Treasury yield 3.87% (spot 5.13% on 2026-10-21)) + β 1.20 after Blume adjustment × 5%, rounded to 0.01% (1bp) 60 monthly returns vs SPY, 2021-09..2026-09 (adjusted closes) |
| Tax rateDiscount rates | 15.0% | Guidance | CFO expects mid-teens tax starting September 2026 and likely beyond; use 15%. fool.com ↗ |
| Cash and short-term investmentsBalance sheet | $7.4B | Reported | cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue · 0000707549-26-000054 (filed 2026-10-22) |
| BorrowingsBalance sheet | $3.7B | Reported | borrowings due within a year plus long-term borrowings us-gaap:LongTermDebtAndCapitalLeaseObligationsCurrent · 0000707549-26-000054 + us-gaap:LongTermDebtAndCapitalLeaseObligations · 0000707549-26-000054 |
| Finance leasesBalance sheet | $0.0B | Reported | finance leases not separately tagged; retained inside combined debt, with no additional lease deduction balance sheet 2026-09-27 |
| SharesBalance sheet | 1.249B | Reported | shares outstanding as of 2026-10-20 cover page of 10-Q 0000707549-26-000054 |
| Dividends per yearShareholders | $1.4B | Reported | Last four payments through October 14, 2026: $0.26 + $0.26 + $0.26 + $0.33; do not annualize the new dividend to $1.32. × 1.249B shares investor.lamresearch.com ↗ |
Research notes
- share-count comparison: 1.255768B quarter 2026-06-29..2026-09-27 · 0000707549-26-000054; point-in-time denominator retained
- Systems: dated YTD inputs through 2026-09-27; omitted metrics retain estimates, company capital-pool amounts allocated once
- Customer Support and Other: dated YTD inputs through 2026-09-27; omitted metrics retain estimates, company capital-pool amounts allocated once
- cost of equity 9.87% (β 1.20 after Blume adjustment), WACC 9.8%
Signal Ledger research under one stated scenario — management's targets are delivered, with our stated judgment calls — not a forecast that they will be and not investment advice. The research desk (GPT-6.1 (Codex)) gathers filings, guidance and targets; deterministic code applies the samepublished rules to every company and checks the result. Inputs may contain errors; follow the source links before relying on them. Read our valuation methodology →