Lam Research Corp. shares plunged in late trading Wednesday after the chip-equipment supplier reported worse-than-expected fiscal second-quarter revenue and third-quarter guidance, which the chief executive attributed to “supply-chain conditions.”
Lam Research
LRCX,
reported second-quarter net income of $1.2 billion, or $8.44 a share, compared with $869.2 million, or $5.96 a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings, which exclude amortization and other items, were $8.53 a share, compared with $6.03 a share in the year-ago period.
Revenue rose to $4.23 billion from $3.46 billion in the year-ago quarter, but came in lower than analysts’ consensus estimate amid a global semiconductor shortage. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast adjusted earnings of $8.52 a share on revenue of $4.41 billion, based on Lam’s forecast of $7.95 to $8.95 a share on revenue of $4.15 billion to $4.65 billion.
“While supply-chain conditions worsened in late December and are causing near-term impacts to our results, we expect wafer fabrication equipment investments to again increase in calendar-year 2022, leading to another strong growth year for Lam,” Chief Executive Tim Archer said in a statement.
Shares dove more than 10% in after-hours trading immediately following the release of the results, following a 1.4% gain in the regular session to close at $596.67.
Lam forecast fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings of $6.70 to $8.20 a share on sales of $3.95 billion to $4.55 billion. Analysts on average were projecting earnings of $8.72 a share on revenue of $4.49 billion heading into the report, according to FactSet.
Smaller rival KLA Corp.
KLAC,
is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings after the close of markets Thursday.
Lam shares have gained 10% over the past 12 months, compared with a 15% rise in the PHLX Semiconductor Index
SOX,
a 15% gain by the S&P 500 index
SPX,
and a 2% advance in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
