New York, Feb 2, 2026, 11:00 EST — Regular session
Lam Research shares rose 3.1% to $240.70 in morning trading on Monday, after the chipmaking equipment maker announced it had expanded a research collaboration with CEA-Leti. The stock hit as high as $242.81 earlier in the session.
The move came in a jittery session on CME Group’s decision to lift margin requirements for precious metals and ahead of a crowded week of earnings and U.S. economic data. “You’re seeing investors being more selective,” said Jim Baird of Plante Moran Financial Advisors. Reuters
Lam’s shares have been trading off last week’s quarterly report, when the company forecast third-quarter revenue of $5.7 billion, plus or minus $300 million, above Wall Street estimates. It also projected adjusted earnings of $1.35 a share, plus or minus 10 cents, after posting adjusted profit of $1.27 a share on revenue of $5.34 billion in the second quarter. Tim Archer said the market is shifting to “smaller, more complex three-dimensional devices and packages.” Reuters
In Monday’s statement, Lam said the multi-year agreement with CEA-Leti will focus on new materials and fabrication processes for so-called specialty devices, including micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), sensors, power-management and radio-frequency parts, and photonics. Vahid Vahedi called the opportunities “immense,” while Sébastian Dauvé said the work should speed the move from process ideas to “validated functionality.” PR Newswire
Lam outpaced some chip-tool peers. Applied Materials rose 1.6% and ASML Holding gained about 1%, while KLA Corp. slipped nearly 0.9%.
Lam is a major supplier of wafer-fab equipment — the machines that etch and coat silicon wafers during chipmaking — and its order trends are watched as a read on chipmakers’ spending plans. Industry group SEMI has forecast global wafer-fab equipment sales will rise about 9% to $126 billion in 2026, Reuters reported in December.
But the stock’s next leg is not just about R&D headlines. Demand for chip gear can swing fast if customers trim capital spending, and the group remains exposed to policy shifts that can limit sales of advanced tools to certain markets.
The next catalysts land this week: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is due to publish the JOLTS job openings report on Tuesday and the January employment report on Friday, Feb. 6, while investors also digest a heavy run of big-ticket earnings.
