# How Lam Research (LRCX) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/lrcx
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on LRCX alone. It places LRCX (Lam Research Corporation) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where LRCX stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: LRCX's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** LRCX is 39.1% below its high, bear-market territory, while the S&P 500 sits 1.3% below a record. Over the past 3 months, LRCX fell 14.0% while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%.
- **Stock or market?:** The weakness is LRCX's own: it fell 14.0% over the past 3 months while the semiconductor equipment ETF SMH (VanEck Semiconductor ETF) fell 2.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its semiconductor equipment peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: FORM (FormFactor) rose 2.3%, while AMAT (Applied Materials) fell 22.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** LRCX has run far ahead of the market, rising 83.7% over the past year against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (350% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** LRCX turned $10,000 into $309,000 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. LRCX's 10-year return of 2,989% puts it ahead of 99% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, LRCX has typically fallen 1.5 times as far as the S&P 500. In the 2022 bear market, LRCX fell 55.1%, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than ASML (ASML Holding, 48.4%) but less than TER (Teradyne, 56.6%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, LRCX has a correlation of 0.60 over 5 years, more closely than 90% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** KLAC (KLA) earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 38.7% a year at 46.7% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** ASX (ASE Technology Holding, semiconductors) and AVGO (Broadcom, semiconductors) earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 34 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AVGO (Broadcom), LLY (Eli Lilly and Company) and KLAC (KLA).

## How much would $10,000 in LRCX have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in LRCX over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of LRCX over the same span and LRCX's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in LRCX at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $2,488,626 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of LRCX, and MNST finished highest, at $45,663,831.

## LRCX at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- LRCX is still 39.1% below its all-time high.
- LRCX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 87.9%, from April 2000 to October 2002. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, LRCX's best was 1999, when it returned 527%, and its worst was 2000, when it lost 61.0%. It lost money in 11 of those years.

- Type: Stock, Technology (Semiconductors)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $330B
- Volatility (5 years): 49.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.89
- Worst decline ever: −87.9%, from April 7, 2000 to October 9, 2002; back at its high by November 20, 2006

| Period | LRCX total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −12.8% |
| 3 months | −14.0% |
| 6 months | +0.3% |
| year to date | +42.8% |
| 1 year | +83.7% |
| 3 years | +350% |
| 5 years | +390% |
| 10 years | +2,989% |

## LRCX against the whole market

Where LRCX ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does LRCX rank among all stocks?

This section ranks LRCX on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- LRCX's 10-year return ranks in the top 1% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | LRCX | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +83.7% | 256 of 3,287 (top 8%) |
| 3-year return | +350% | 182 of 3,017 (top 7%) |
| 5-year return | +390% | 107 of 2,893 (top 4%) |
| 10-year return | +2,989% | 16 of 2,202 (top 1%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 49.9% | 1,914 of 2,893 (top 67%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.89 | 180 of 2,893 (top 7%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −56.4% | 733 of 2,187 (top 34%) |

### What has beaten LRCX on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 34 stocks worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than LRCX over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half LRCX's swings, FIX has the best return for its risk: 77.0% a year at 46.7% volatility, 6% less than LRCX's 49.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.46 against 0.89 for LRCX.
- Among LRCX's popular alternatives, KLAC is in the region. KLAC earned 38.7% a year against 37.4% a year for LRCX, at 46.7% volatility, 6% less than LRCX's 49.9%.

### Is there a better investment than LRCX?

The table below lists investments that beat LRCX over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among LRCX's popular alternatives, KLAC earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 38.7% a year at 46.7% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ASX (semiconductors) and AVGO (semiconductors) earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 34 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AVGO, LLY and KLAC.

The 15 strongest of 34 investments that beat LRCX over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with LRCX | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LRCX: Lam Research Corporation (this page) |  | +37.4% | 49.9% | 0.89 | −56.4% | +2,989% |  |  |
| ATI: ATI Inc. | Metals & Mining | +61.8% | 42.9% | 1.34 | −82.4% | +929% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [FIX](https://easycompare.io/research/fix): Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +77.0% | 46.7% | 1.46 | −49.7% | +5,305% | 0.42 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [PWR](https://easycompare.io/research/pwr): Quanta Services, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +39.3% | 37.2% | 1.08 | −45.5% | +2,045% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [ASX](https://easycompare.io/research/asx): ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. | Semiconductors | +48.8% | 43.0% | 1.15 | −52.5% | +967% | 0.73 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [AVGO](https://easycompare.io/research/avgo): Broadcom Inc. | Semiconductors | +48.3% | 44.5% | 1.11 | −48.3% | +2,380% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| ESLT: Elbit Systems Ltd. | Aerospace & Defense | +39.8% | 34.6% | 1.15 | −35.4% | +765% | 0.00 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| EME: EMCOR Group, Inc. | Engineering & Construction | +43.0% | 35.3% | 1.20 | −48.0% | +1,202% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| DXPE: DXP Enterprises, Inc. | Industrial - Distribution | +39.0% | 46.1% | 0.95 | −77.3% | +610% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | Oil & Gas | +51.2% | 33.4% | 1.41 | −79.7% | +1,387% | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [PBR-A](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr-a): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | Integrated Oil & Gas | +51.8% | 37.5% | 1.31 | −71.7% | +768% | 0.06 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| JXN: Jackson Financial Inc. | Life Insurance | +41.7% | 43.3% | 1.03 | −48.4% | — | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [HWM](https://easycompare.io/research/hwm): Howmet Aerospace Inc. | Aerospace & Defense | +47.3% | 32.5% | 1.36 | −68.9% | +1,028% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## LRCX against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against LRCX, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do LRCX's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only KLAC was both more rewarding and calmer than LRCX over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 11 of the 20 popular alternatives earned less than LRCX over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, LRCX returned 37.4% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (49.9% against 17.1%).

### Has LRCX consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares LRCX with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- MU outperformed LRCX in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- Two of the 20 popular alternatives, MU and NVDA, outperformed LRCX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- KLAC earned more for the risk it took than LRCX (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in its worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of LRCX | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LRCX: Lam Research Corporation (this page) | +83.7% | +350% | +390% | +2,989% |  |  | 0.89 |
| [MU](https://easycompare.io/research/mu): Micron Technology, Inc. | +334% | +1,246% | +1,244% | +5,243% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.20 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | +18.8% | +425% | +884% | +13,019% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.14 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | +44.3% | +382% | +293% | +1,505% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.91 |
| CAMT: Camtek Ltd. | +4.1% | +149% | +231% | +4,551% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.70 |
| [KLAC](https://easycompare.io/research/klac): KLA Corporation | +41.0% | +258% | +413% | +2,534% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.94 |
| [TER](https://easycompare.io/research/ter): Teradyne, Inc. | +142% | +271% | +193% | +1,565% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |
| FORM: FormFactor, Inc. | +144% | +227% | +201% | +964% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |
| COHU: Cohu, Inc. | +132% | +61.0% | +68.5% | +406% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.46 |
| [INTC](https://easycompare.io/research/intc): Intel Corp. | +141% | +167% | +79.8% | +219% | 4/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| [ASML](https://easycompare.io/research/asml): ASML Holding N.V. | +57.5% | +188% | +123% | +1,628% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.59 |
| ENTG: Entegris, Inc. | +54.8% | +59.3% | +11.4% | +823% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.32 |
| KLIC: Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. | +106% | +95.7% | +64.1% | +598% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| VECO: Veeco Instruments Inc. | +50.9% | +77.7% | +90.3% | +110% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| [AMAT](https://easycompare.io/research/amat): Applied Materials, Inc. | +78.5% | +209% | +215% | +1,488% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.72 |
| ICHR: Ichor Holdings, Ltd. | +87.0% | +63.9% | +6.6% | — | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.38 |
| NVMI: Nova Ltd. | −5.1% | +232% | +213% | +2,512% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| ACLS: Axcelis Technologies, Inc. | +34.6% | −21.9% | +126% | +730% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |
| UCTT: Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. | +76.8% | +108% | +16.2% | +574% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.37 |
| ACMR: ACM Research, Inc. | +38.1% | +208% | +54.8% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.51 |
| ONTO: Onto Innovation Inc. | +61.9% | +86.2% | +200% | +1,005% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.67 |

### How did LRCX do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where LRCX ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, LRCX finished in the top quarter in ten of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in two. In 2025, it ranked 3 of 21.
- LRCX finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 16 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, NVDA came out ahead of LRCX most often, in 15 of the 26 years both traded.

| Year | LRCX | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +139% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −6.9% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +88.6% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −40.7% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +53.7% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +64.2% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +119% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −24.4% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +75.1% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +35.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How LRCX has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were LRCX's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all four of LRCX's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: LRCX fell 87.7% from July 1995 to October 1998, while the S&P 500 rose 82.7%.
- The slowest recovery came after LRCX fell 75.0% from July 2007 to November 2008; it did not regain that peak until May 2014, six years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −87.9% | April 7, 2000 | October 9, 2002 | November 20, 2006 | −46.8% | dot-com bust |
| −87.7% | July 12, 1995 | October 7, 1998 | October 13, 1999 | +82.7% |  |
| −75.3% | August 21, 1987 | August 23, 1990 | October 30, 1991 | — |  |
| −75.0% | July 17, 2007 | November 19, 2008 | May 23, 2014 | −46.0% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −56.4% | January 14, 2022 | October 14, 2022 | July 28, 2023 | −22.1% | 2022 bear market |

### How did LRCX do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far LRCX, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- LRCX fell further than the S&P 500 in nine of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when LRCX fell 87.9% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, INTC held up best, falling less than LRCX in all ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | LRCX fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −87.9% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −73.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.2% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −20.1% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −20.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.5% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −22.9% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −43.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −55.1% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −3.3% | −3.4% |

### How closely does LRCX move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, LRCX captured 183% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 104% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.56. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.
- KLAC took just 59% of the S&P 500's losses, against 104% for LRCX, while still keeping 152% of its gains.
- Five of the 18 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than LRCX's 1.75, led by KLAC, CAMT and TSM.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LRCX: Lam Research Corporation (this page) | 183% | 104% | 1.56 |
| [MU](https://easycompare.io/research/mu): Micron Technology, Inc. | 204% | 114% | 1.75 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | 248% | 140% | 1.83 |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | 138% | 75.0% | 1.15 |
| CAMT: Camtek Ltd. | 191% | 96.0% | 1.60 |
| [KLAC](https://easycompare.io/research/klac): KLA Corporation | 152% | 59.0% | 1.32 |
| [TER](https://easycompare.io/research/ter): Teradyne, Inc. | 167% | 121% | 1.53 |
| FORM: FormFactor, Inc. | 132% | 81.0% | 1.29 |
| COHU: Cohu, Inc. | 122% | 116% | 1.65 |
| [INTC](https://easycompare.io/research/intc): Intel Corp. | 98.0% | 100% | 1.43 |
| [ASML](https://easycompare.io/research/asml): ASML Holding N.V. | 170% | 132% | 1.44 |
| ENTG: Entegris, Inc. | 123% | 89.0% | 1.30 |
| KLIC: Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. | 131% | 111% | 1.44 |
| VECO: Veeco Instruments Inc. | 76.0% | 84.0% | 1.38 |
| [AMAT](https://easycompare.io/research/amat): Applied Materials, Inc. | 152% | 97.0% | 1.51 |
| NVMI: Nova Ltd. | 179% | 110% | 1.46 |
| ACLS: Axcelis Technologies, Inc. | 151% | 136% | 1.67 |
| UCTT: Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. | 165% | 156% | 1.93 |
| ONTO: Onto Innovation Inc. | 139% | 92.0% | 1.41 |

### What diversifies LRCX?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in LRCX into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 19% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+43.4% for LRCX alone, +44.8% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and GCOW have moved largely independently of LRCX over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.44 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- MCK made money in seven of the 11 calendar years in which LRCX lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with LRCX | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in LRCX's 11 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.22 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 11 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.44 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 11 |
| GCOW: Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF | 0.17 | +93.4% | 13.6% | 1.04 | 2 of 11 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.21 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 11 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.22 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 11 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.11 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 11 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.00 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 7 of 11 |
| [VTV](https://easycompare.io/research/vtv): Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | 0.46 | +76.6% | 13.7% | 0.90 | 3 of 11 |

## Common questions

### What was LRCX's worst drawdown?

LRCX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 87.9%, from April 2000 to October 2002. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were LRCX's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, LRCX's best year was 1999, when it returned 527%. Its worst was 2000, with a return of -61.0%.

### Is there a better investment than LRCX?

Among LRCX's popular alternatives, KLAC earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 38.7% a year at 46.7% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ASX (semiconductors) and AVGO (semiconductors) earned more than LRCX with less volatility over the past 5 years. ASX returned 48.8% a year at 43.0% volatility, against 37.4% a year at 49.9%.

### Is LRCX more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. LRCX's volatility over the past 5 years was 49.9%, 2.9 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, LRCX's return lands within 49.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is LRCX's Sharpe ratio?

LRCX's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.89, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so LRCX earned more for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is LRCX with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, LRCX's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.60 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against LRCX instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a LRCX holding.

### What are the best alternatives to LRCX?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed LRCX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: MU and NVDA.

### Did LRCX outperform the S&P 500?

LRCX finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 16 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +139%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did LRCX do in stock market crashes?

LRCX fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in none of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in nine. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when LRCX fell 87.9% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies LRCX?

These had a low correlation with LRCX over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.22), DXJ (correlation 0.44) and GCOW (correlation 0.17); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.28), CLS (correlation 0.39) and FIX (correlation 0.42). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Micron Technology (MU) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mu)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm)
- [KLA (KLAC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/klac)
- [Teradyne (TER) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ter)
- [Intel (INTC) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/intc)
- [ASML Holding (ASML) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/asml)
- [Applied Materials (AMAT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amat)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/lrcx
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against LRCX live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=LRCX&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research