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LRCX vs NVMI
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) vs. Nova Ltd. (NVMI) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- LRCX boasts a massive $368 billion market cap and 72% YTD gains, outpacing NVMI's $16.6 billion cap and 59% YTD rise, driven by AI-fueled etch and deposition demand.
- Both stocks surged over the past year—LRCX up 285%, NVMI up 179%—reflecting semiconductor equipment strength amid advanced node ramps.
- LRCX trades at a P/E (price-to-earnings ratio) of 55.6 with recent record earnings, while NVMI's P/E of 65.5 signals premium valuation for metrology growth.
- Recent market activity shows LRCX hitting near 52-week highs around $298 after Q3 beats, with NVMI peaking at $550 on AI infrastructure optimism.
- Sector tailwinds favor both, but LRCX's scale and customer support revenue provide stability versus NVMI's higher growth volatility.
Introduction
This comparison pits LRCX, a leader in semiconductor etch and deposition equipment, against NVMI, a specialist in metrology and process control solutions. Both operate in the booming semiconductor equipment sector, fueled by AI-driven demand for advanced chips. Traders seeking momentum plays and investors eyeing long-term growth in wafer fabrication tools will find value here, as recent market activity highlights their relative performance amid rising wafer fab equipment spending projected near $140 billion for the year.
LRCX Overview and Recent Performance
Lam Research Corporation (LRCX) designs, manufactures, and services wafer fabrication equipment, specializing in etch, deposition, and clean processes essential for integrated circuits. With a market cap exceeding $367 billion, it serves major foundries like TSMC and Samsung, holding top share in etch and strong deposition positioning, particularly for memory chips like DRAM and NAND.
In recent weeks, LRCX stock has rallied sharply, climbing over 20% in the past month to around $294, near its 52-week high of $298. This momentum follows a record Q3 with $5.84 billion revenue (up 24% YoY) and EPS of $1.47 beating estimates, propelled by AI demand and customer support growth. YTD gains stand at 72%, with 285% over the past year, though high P/E near 56 reflects stretched valuations. Sentiment remains bullish on AI catalysts and raised price targets, tempered by cyclical risks.
NVMI Overview and Recent Performance
Nova Ltd. (NVMI) provides metrology and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, offering optical and X-ray systems for dimensional, material, and chemical measurements across fabrication steps like lithography and etch. Headquartered in Israel, its $16.6 billion market cap underscores niche leadership in inline metrology for logic and memory chips.
Recent market activity has seen NVMI advance to about $521, up 11% in the past month toward its 52-week high of $550, buoyed by AI optimism and TSMC-related sentiment. Full-year 2025 revenue hit a record $881 million (up 31% YoY), with Q4 EPS of $2.14 topping forecasts amid strong metrology adoption. YTD performance is 59%, with 179% over the past year at a P/E of 65. Positive analyst upgrades highlight growth, though smaller scale heightens volatility exposure.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
LRCX and NVMI both thrive in semiconductor equipment but diverge in focus: LRCX excels in capital-intensive etch (top market share) and deposition for chip layering, while NVMI leads in metrology for precision measurement and yield optimization.
Growth drivers align on AI/HPC ramps, advanced packaging, and memory recovery, yet NVMI shows higher revenue growth (31% vs. LRCX's 24%) from metrology intensity. Recent momentum favors LRCX with superior YTD/1Y returns, but NVMI trades at a richer P/E (65 vs. 56), implying growth premium.
Risk factors differ: LRCX's scale and recurring services (high-margin) buffer cycles and geopolitics (China exposure), versus NVMI's smaller size amplifying beta (1.78 vs. 1.82). Sector exposure is broad for both, tied to foundry/logic/memory. Sentiment tilts to LRCX on earnings beats, but NVMI gains from analyst hikes.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors LRCX for its trend consistency, larger scale, and stable catalysts like AI etch/deposition demand and services revenue. With stronger relative YTD/1Y positioning and recent record results, LRCX shows higher probability of outperformance in the near term, though NVMI offers growth upside if metrology adoption accelerates.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is LRCX is a Hold and NVMI is a Hold.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
LRCX’s FA Score shows that 4 FA rating(s) are green whileNVMI’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- LRCX’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
- NVMI’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
LRCX’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while NVMI’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- LRCX’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
- NVMI’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
LRCX (@Electronic Production Equipment) experienced а +4.41% price change this week, while NVMI (@Electronic Production Equipment) price change was +10.22% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Electronic Production Equipment industry was -0.13%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +21.65%, and the average quarterly price growth was +145.15%.
Reported Earning Dates
LRCX is expected to report earnings on Aug 05, 2026.
NVMI is expected to report earnings on Jul 30, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Electronic Production Equipment (-0.13% weekly)The electronic production equipment industry makes equipment used to produce semiconductors. Such equipment includes wafer fabrication, plasma etching and photo-resist processing equipment. The industry also makes chemical vapor deposition processing systems and photomasks, which are high-purity quartz plates that contain patterns to define integrated circuits layouts. Applied Materials, Inc., Lam Research Corporation, and KLA-Tencor Corporation are examples of electronic production equipment manufacturing companies.
| LRCX | NVMI | LRCX / NVMI | |
| Capitalization | 374B | 17.7B | 2,113% |
| EBITDA | 8.07B | 276M | 2,925% |
| Gain YTD | 74.967 | 69.344 | 108% |
| P/E Ratio | 56.55 | 69.78 | 81% |
| Revenue | 21.7B | 881M | 2,463% |
| Total Cash | 4.75B | 1.05B | 453% |
| Total Debt | 3.73B | 799M | 467% |
LRCX | NVMI | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 13 | 81 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 83 Overvalued | 74 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 4 | 6 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 17 | 41 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 3 | 38 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 8 | 8 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 90 | 90 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
NVMI's Valuation (74) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as LRCX (83). This means that NVMI’s stock grew similarly to LRCX’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Profit vs Risk Rating (4) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as NVMI (6). This means that LRCX’s stock grew similarly to NVMI’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's SMR Rating (17) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as NVMI (41). This means that LRCX’s stock grew similarly to NVMI’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's Price Growth Rating (3) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is somewhat better than the same rating for NVMI (38). This means that LRCX’s stock grew somewhat faster than NVMI’s over the last 12 months.
LRCX's P/E Growth Rating (8) in the Electronic Production Equipment industry is in the same range as NVMI (8). This means that LRCX’s stock grew similarly to NVMI’s over the last 12 months.
| LRCX | NVMI | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 58% | 2 days ago 76% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 61% | 2 days ago 88% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 68% | 2 days ago 86% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 70% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 79% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 77% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 82% | 2 days ago 78% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 17 days ago 65% | 12 days ago 68% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 66% | 2 days ago 58% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 73% |
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