NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 23:12 ET — Market closed
- Lam Research shares last closed up 0.4% at $178.07 on Friday.
- Thin year-end trading and Fed minutes due Tuesday are in focus for momentum stocks.
- Investors are looking ahead to Lam’s December-quarter results after the quarter ended Sunday.
Lam Research Corp shares last closed up 0.4% at $178.07 on Friday, eking out gains in a quiet post-holiday session as semiconductor equipment names held firm into year-end. [1]
The move matters now because U.S. markets are heading into the final three trading days of 2025 with light volumes and portfolio adjustments that can amplify swings in widely owned momentum stocks. [2]
Macro catalysts are also looming, with minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Dec. 9-10 meeting due Tuesday and traders watching the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” window that runs through Jan. 5. [3]
Other chip-equipment stocks were modestly higher in the last session, with Applied Materials up 0.4%, KLA adding 0.2% and U.S.-listed shares of ASML rising 0.6%.
The iShares Semiconductor ETF, a sector proxy, finished little changed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended slightly lower in what Reuters described as a light-volume, post-Christmas session. [4]
“Momentum is certainly on the side of the bulls,” said Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management. [5]
A fresh Zacks analyst report on Friday pointed to Lam’s leverage to 3D DRAM and advanced packaging, areas where chipmakers add complexity that can require more processing steps. [6]
Those steps include etch, which removes material from a silicon wafer, and deposition, which lays down ultra-thin layers as chips are built.
The Zacks report also flagged improving memory spending and demand tied to high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, a stacked memory used alongside AI processors in data centers. [7]
At the same time, the note warned that spending on mature chipmaking “nodes” — older manufacturing technology — could stay weak, while U.S.-China trade and tariff tensions remain an overhang for the group. [8]
Before the next session opens Monday, investors will be watching year-end positioning and the Fed minutes on Tuesday for clues on the interest-rate path, with Reuters noting that light volumes can exaggerate price moves. [9]
Lam’s fiscal quarter ended Dec. 28, and the December-quarter print will be measured against the company’s prior guidance for revenue of $5.20 billion, plus or minus $300 million, and net income per diluted share of $1.15, plus or minus $0.10. [10]
Lam has not confirmed the date for its next earnings release, but MarketBeat’s earnings calendar estimates the company will report after the close on Feb. 4. [11]
For the stock, Friday’s range of $177.44 to $179.77 left shares just short of the $180 mark — a level traders will be watching when U.S. markets reopen.
References
1. www.reuters.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.nasdaq.com, 7. www.nasdaq.com, 8. www.nasdaq.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. investor.lamresearch.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com
