Applied Materials, KLA get strong notice in new Stifel take on semiconductors
PhonlamaiPhoto/iStock via Getty Images

With enterprise tech companies lining up to start reporting quarterly results in full force next week, Stifel analyst Brian Chin on Wednesday used the calm before the earnings storm to weigh in with a slate of new, upbeat opinions on several semiconductor equipment makers.
Prior to the start of trading, Chin set new buy ratings on Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT), KLA Corp. (NASDAQ:KLAC), Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) and Ichor Holdings (NASDAQ:ICHR), and he had a slate comments for his upbeat takes on each company.
For Applied Materials (AMAT), Chin the company has the "biggest arsenal at its disposal", and the most-diversified supplier of capital equipment, services and solutions used to make semiconductor. Chin also set a $132-a-share price target on Applied Materials' (AMAT).
Chin gave KLA (KLAC) a buy rating and a $505-a-share price target on the company's stock. Chin said KLA (KLAC) is in a relatively steady position compared to other players in the chip-equipment market due to it being the largest supplier of inspection and process control equipment used to improve the production of semiconductors.
Ichor Holdings (ICHR) also got a buy rating, along with a $37-a-share price target on the company's stock from Chin. Regarding Ichor (ICHR), Chin said the company has "successfully executed its growth playbook" and had expanded its addressable market into new products beyond its standard subsystems and components.
Chin was a little less enthusiastic about Lam Research (LRCX) as he set only a hold rating on the company's stock. Chin said Lam's (LRCX) technology is "integral to the production of the chip industry's most advanced integrated circuits," but added that the company faces some risks of a downturn in the memory chip market. 
Chin also set a $495-a-share price target on Lam's (LRCX) stock.
On Tuesday, Applied Materials (AMAT) was among the chip companies mentioned as likely to benefit from a "soft landing" regarding any slowdown in the semiconductor sector.