LRCX
Lam Research Corporation
LRCX has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
PLTR
Palantir Technologies Inc.
PLTR has the edge over LRCX overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
LRCX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
LRCX's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
PLTR Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
PLTR's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently strong.
LRCX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 16x | $109 | -53% |
| Forward | 23x | $234 | — |
| Fair | 24x | $161 | -31% |
| Expensive | 35x | $236 | +0.9% |
| Current | 35x | $234 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LRCX's PE is in its expensive range at 35x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 23x next year's earnings, in its fair range.
PLTR PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 75x | $172 | — |
| Current | 120x | $172 | — |
| Cheap | 165x | $236 | +37% |
| Fair | 251x | $359 | +109% |
| Expensive | 452x | $646 | +277% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
PLTR has the edge over LRCX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
LRCX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| High |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for LRCX, with profitability improving.
PLTR Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Moderate | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect strong earnings and revenue growth for PLTR, with profitability improving.
LRCX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $10.20 | +52% |
| Q3 2026 | $6.71 | +48% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.76 | +39% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.29 | +47% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.87 | +48% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.53 | +47% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.15 | +43% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.59 | +32% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.29 | +27% |
LRCX's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $6.71 over the past year, up 48% from the year before, and higher year over year for nine quarters in a row.
PLTR Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.30 | +61% |
| Q3 2026 | $1.43 | +240% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.17 | +290% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.89 | +287% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.63 | +232% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.42 | +110% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.30 | +76% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.23 | +92% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.19 | +111% |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
LRCX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.2B | +54% |
| Q2 2026 | $6.7B | +30% |
| Q1 2026 | $5.8B | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.3B | +22% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.3B | +28% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.2B | +34% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.7B | +24% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.4B | +16% |
LRCX's revenue has grown year over year for 10 quarters in a row: $8.2B last quarter, up 54% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 40% | +5.6 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | +3.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 35% | +1.9 points |
| Q4 2025 | 34% | +3.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 34% | +4 points |
| Q2 2025 | 34% | +4.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 33% | +5.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +2.4 points |
LRCX's operating margin was 40% last quarter, up 5.6 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
PLTR Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.3B | +96% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +93% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.6B | +85% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.4B | +70% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | +63% |
| Q2 2025 | $1B | +48% |
| Q1 2025 | $883.9M | +39% |
| Q4 2024 | $827.5M | +36% |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on sales, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 47% | +14 points |
| Q2 2026 | 47% | +20 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +26 points |
| Q4 2025 | 41% | +40 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +18 points |
| Q2 2025 | 27% | +11 points |
| Q1 2025 | 20% | +7.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 1.3% | -9.5 points |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
LRCX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.2B | +103% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.3B | -47% |
| Q1 2026 | $809.8M | -21% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.2B | +120% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.6B | +9.3% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.4B | +213% |
| Q1 2025 | $1B | -20% |
| Q4 2024 | $553.6M | -59% |
LRCX's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $6.5B over the past year, up 18% from the year before.
PLTR Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.2B | +139% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B | +126% |
| Q1 2026 | $891.8M | +193% |
| Q4 2025 | $764M | +67% |
| Q3 2025 | $500.9M | +20% |
| Q2 2025 | $531.6M | +276% |
| Q1 2025 | $304.1M | +140% |
| Q4 2024 | $457.2M | +54% |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
LRCX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.4% | -5.3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.1% | -13.5M shares |
| 3 years | -5.7% | -75.9M shares |
| 5 years | -12% | -170M shares |
| Available history | -16% | -245M shares |
LRCX has the edge over PLTR on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1B |
| Q2 2026 | $246.6M |
| Q1 2026 | $1.2B |
| Q4 2025 | $1.5B |
| Q3 2025 | $975.8M |
| Q2 2025 | $1.3B |
| Q1 2025 | $435.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $697.7M |
LRCX spent $3.9B buying back its own shares over the past year, up 15% from the year before.
PLTR Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.2% | +5.2M shares |
| 1 year | +0.1% | +2.9M shares |
| 3 years | +11% | +248M shares |
| 5 years | +31% | +610M shares |
| Available history | +184% | +1.7B shares |
PLTR has 2.6B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q3 2025 | $19.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $18.6M |
| Q1 2025 | $18M |
| Q4 2024 | $18.6M |
| Q3 2024 | $18.9M |
| Q2 2024 | $17.7M |
| Q1 2024 | $9M |
LRCX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
LRCX has more cash than debt.
PLTR Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.9x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.6x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -2.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -6.1x | Net Cash |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LRCX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 42.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 16.7 | Oversold |
LRCX's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 17 (oversold).
PLTR Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 51.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 47.4 | Neutral |
PLTR's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 47 (neutral).
LRCX PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | LRCX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 28x | 25% above |
| PE % | 82 | 35 | 47 pts above |
LRCX has the edge over PLTR on valuation relative to its sector.
PLTR PE vs Technology Sector
| Metric | PLTR | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 120x | 28x | 331% above |
| PE % | 1 | 38 | 37 pts below |
PLTR is trading at 120x earnings, a 331% premium to the Technology sector's median of 28x.
LRCX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $268.6 | 13% below |
| 20 week MA | $295.8 | 21% below |
| 50 week MA | $267.5 | 13% below |
| 100 week MA | $182.7 | 28% above |
| 200 week MA | $128.3 | 82% above |
LRCX has pulled back, but its long-term trend is still up: it's below its 8-, 20- and 50-week averages, but 82% above its 200-week average.
PLTR Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $185.8 | 7.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $167.6 | 2.4% above |
| 50 week MA | $157.1 | 9.2% above |
| 100 week MA | $143.8 | 19% above |
| 200 week MA | $83.3 | 106% above |
PLTR has the edge over LRCX on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
LRCX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $29.4 | $48.0 | +64% |
| 2021 | $48.0 | $69.9 | +45% |
| 2022 | $69.9 | $41.2 | -41% |
| 2023 | $41.2 | $78.3 | +90% |
| 2024 | $78.3 | $73.4 | -6.3% |
| 2025 | $73.4 | $178.1 | +143% |
| 2026 YTD | $178.1 | $233.8 | +31% |
LRCX has the edge over PLTR on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
PLTR Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.20 | $27.8 | +202% |
| 2021 | $27.8 | $18.9 | -32% |
| 2022 | $18.9 | $6.29 | -67% |
| 2023 | $6.29 | $17.2 | +173% |
| 2024 | $17.2 | $79.1 | +361% |
| 2025 | $79.1 | $188.7 | +139% |
| 2026 YTD | $188.7 | $171.6 | -9.1% |
PLTR's yearly returns have swung widely, from +361% in 2024 to −67% in 2022. It's down 9.1% so far in 2026.