LRCX vs. QCOM: Lam Research vs. QUALCOMM Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM) both belong to the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry, though LRCX is classified under Semiconductor Materials & Equipment while QCOM falls under Semiconductors.

Company profile comparison for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Profile Item	LRCX	QCOM
Name	Lam Research Corp.	QUALCOMM Incorporated
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductor Materials & Equipment	Semiconductors
Market Capitalization	250.84 billion USD	176.99 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 4, 1984	December 13, 1991
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LRCX

QCOM

GSPC

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Total Return (1Y)	36.98%	4.41%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	50.75%	15.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	29.74%	3.17%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LRCX

QCOM

GSPC

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	68.85%	55.42%
Beta (5Y)	2.02	1.73
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-57.22%	-44.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	9.82M	12.25M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LRCX and QCOM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.47	0.00
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.69	0.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Lam Research (LRCX) at 70.12% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 52.82% also sits in the top quartile.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

70.12%

LRCX: 70.12%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

52.82%

QCOM: 52.82%
Max: 52.82%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their ROE against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Lam Research (LRCX) at 32.34% and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 31.61% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

32.34%

Max: 63.80%
LRCX: 32.34%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

31.61%

Max: 63.80%
QCOM: 31.61%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their net margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Lam Research (LRCX) at 39.95% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 15.41%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

39.95%

Max: 58.66%
LRCX: 39.95%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

15.41%

Max: 58.66%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
QCOM: 15.41%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
ROE (TTM)	70.12%	52.82%
ROA (TTM)	25.01%	10.13%
Net Margin (TTM)	32.34%	31.61%
Operating Margin (TTM)	39.95%	15.41%
Gross Margin (TTM)	51.05%	53.10%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Lam Research (LRCX) at 26.02% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at -2.63% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 153.49% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Lam Research (LRCX) at 38.80%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	26.02%	-2.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.06%	6.38%
EPS Growth (YoY)	38.80%	153.49%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	20.15%	25.53%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lam Research (LRCX) at 2.48 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 1.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for QCOM.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.48

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
LRCX: 2.48
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

1.86

Max: 10.33
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
QCOM: 1.86
Min: 1.03

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Lam Research (LRCX) at 0.27 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 0.53 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.27

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
LRCX: 0.27
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.53

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
QCOM: 0.53
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.00

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.48	1.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.27	0.53
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.37	0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lam Research (LRCX) at 0.60% pays an industry-typical yield; QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 2.31% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.60%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
LRCX: 0.60%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2.31%

QCOM: 2.31%
Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Lam Research (LRCX) at 16.54% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 28.50% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

16.54%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
LRCX: 16.54%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.50%

Max: 49.64%
QCOM: 28.50%
Q3: 21.71%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.60%	2.31%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	16.54%	28.50%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 13.02 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Lam Research (LRCX) at 29.87 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for QCOM, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

29.87

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
LRCX: 29.87
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

13.02

Max: 110.34
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
QCOM: 13.02
Min: 8.12

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Lam Research (LRCX) at 9.60 and QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 4.10 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

9.60

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
LRCX: 9.60
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

4.10

Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
QCOM: 4.10
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

QUALCOMM (QCOM) at 5.83 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Lam Research (LRCX) at 18.00 prices above its benchmark range — LRCX looks rich relative to book.

LRCX

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

18.00

LRCX: 18.00
Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

QCOM

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

5.83

Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
QCOM: 5.83
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

Lam Research (LRCX) vs. QUALCOMM (QCOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lam Research (LRCX) and QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Metric	LRCX	QCOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	29.87	13.02
P/S Ratio (TTM)	9.60	4.10
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	18.00	5.83
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.81%	5.15%