New York, March 3, 2026, 17:26 (EST) — After-hours
- Lam Research dropped roughly 6% after hours, sliding along with other chip-equipment stocks caught in the selloff.
- Oil climbed close to 5% at the close, rattled by the Iran conflict that’s thrown a wrench into energy shipments and unsettled the market.
- Traders are also eyeing fresh insider-trade filings, with the March 4 ex-dividend date coming up.
Lam Research Corp (LRCX) sank 5.9% to $217.27 during late after-hours trading Tuesday, deepening losses for semiconductor equipment stocks. Applied Materials dropped 5.6%, KLA gave up 6.1%, and ASML’s U.S.-traded shares lost 4.4%.
Timing is key here. Chip-tool stocks are already packed with investors, and when sentiment shifts defensive, these names can swing quickly—their fortunes tied closely to the scale of factory orders.
Wall Street lost ground Tuesday, rattled by renewed concerns over the expanding U.S.-Israel conflict involving Iran and its impact on energy prices. “This damage is being done because the war keeps spreading,” said Kevin Gordon, head of macro research and strategy at Charles Schwab in New York, who cautioned that headline-driven markets can swing fast. Reuters
Oil made no difference. Brent finished 4.7% higher at $81.40 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate closed at $74.56. Ongoing Middle East shipment disruptions kept supply worries on traders’ minds. “The market is thinking there might be a quicker resolution than previously feared,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. Reuters
Lam didn’t put out any new earnings numbers or guidance Tuesday, but insider trading activity surfaced right in the thick of the drop. According to a Form 4—the usual U.S. filing for insider trades—CFO Douglas Bettinger exercised options and unloaded 40,329 shares, pulling in a weighted average of $230.22. Chief Legal Officer Ava Harter moved 4,000 shares at $232.50.
Lam shares were already under pressure before Tuesday’s decline. On Monday, the stock finished at $231.00, off 1.24%, putting it roughly 10% under the 52-week peak from Feb. 25, according to MarketWatch.
Wednesday brings another key date: the stock goes ex-dividend. Anyone buying after that point misses out on the next payout. Lam’s board set a quarterly dividend at $0.26 per share, with payment scheduled for April 8 to holders on record as of March 4, the company said.
The stock remains up roughly 27% for the year, despite Tuesday’s drop—leaving it vulnerable if traders rush to lock in gains and risk sentiment cools.
This setup works in either direction. De-escalation headlines and falling oil? Traders typically rotate right back into battered growth stocks. Persistent high energy prices, though, can sap rate-cut bets and keep cyclical tech names—like chip-equipment suppliers—under pressure.
There’s another date investors are eyeing: Lam plans to present at the Cantor Global Technology & Industrial Growth Conference on March 11, according to the company.
Lam traders are eyeing stock action once U.S. markets reopen Wednesday, watching the ex-dividend trade, and keeping tabs on whether oil and currency swings keep pushing investors into safer bets.
