diff --git a/phpseclib/Net/SFTP.php b/phpseclib/Net/SFTP.php
index 2055de25..6be9174a 100644
--- a/phpseclib/Net/SFTP.php
+++ b/phpseclib/Net/SFTP.php
@@ -901,7 +901,7 @@ class Net_SFTP extends Net_SSH2
                             } else {
                                 $temp = $dir . '/' . $shortname;
                             }
-                            $this->_update_stat_cache($temp, (object) array('stat' => $attributes));
+                            $this->_update_stat_cache($temp, (object) array('lstat' => $attributes));
                         }
                         // SFTPv6 has an optional boolean end-of-list field, but we'll ignore that, since the
                         // final SSH_FXP_STATUS packet should tell us that, already.
@@ -1072,6 +1072,12 @@ class Net_SFTP extends Net_SSH2
         $temp = &$this->stat_cache;
         $max = count($dirs) - 1;
         foreach ($dirs as $i=>$dir) {
+            // if $temp is an object that means one of two things.
+            //  1. a file was deleted and changed to a directory behind phpseclib's back
+            //  2. it's a symlink. when lstat is done it's unclear what it's a symlink to
+            if (is_object($temp)) {
+                $temp = array();
+            }
             if (!isset($temp[$dir])) {
                 $temp[$dir] = array();
             }
@@ -1161,7 +1167,7 @@ class Net_SFTP extends Net_SSH2
 
         if ($this->use_stat_cache) {
             $result = $this->_query_stat_cache($filename);
-            if (is_array($result) && isset($result['.'])) {
+            if (is_array($result) && isset($result['.']) && isset($result['.']->stat)) {
                 return $result['.']->stat;
             }
             if (is_object($result) && isset($result->stat)) {
diff --git a/tests/Functional/Net/SFTPUserStoryTest.php b/tests/Functional/Net/SFTPUserStoryTest.php
index e4fdb389..0b93bd37 100644
--- a/tests/Functional/Net/SFTPUserStoryTest.php
+++ b/tests/Functional/Net/SFTPUserStoryTest.php
@@ -594,5 +594,52 @@ class Functional_Net_SFTPUserStoryTest extends PhpseclibFunctionalTestCase
             $sftp->stat(self::$scratchDir),
             'Failed asserting that stat on a deleted directory returns false'
         );
+
+        return $sftp;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @depends testDeleteEmptyDir
+     * @group github735
+     */
+    public function testStatVsLstat($sftp)
+    {
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->mkdir(self::$scratchDir));
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->chdir(self::$scratchDir));
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->put('text.txt', 'zzzzz'));
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->symlink('text.txt', 'link.txt'));
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->mkdir('subdir'));
+        $this->assertTrue($sftp->symlink('subdir', 'linkdir'));
+
+        $sftp->clearStatCache();
+
+        // pre-populate the stat cache
+        $sftp->nlist();
+
+        $stat = $sftp->stat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_REGULAR);
+        $stat = $sftp->lstat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_SYMLINK);
+
+        $stat = $sftp->stat('linkdir');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_DIRECTORY);
+        $stat = $sftp->lstat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_SYMLINK);
+
+        $sftp->disableStatCache();
+
+        $sftp->nlist();
+
+        $stat = $sftp->stat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_REGULAR);
+        $stat = $sftp->lstat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_SYMLINK);
+
+        $stat = $sftp->stat('linkdir');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_DIRECTORY);
+        $stat = $sftp->lstat('link.txt');
+        $this->assertSame($stat['type'], NET_SFTP_TYPE_SYMLINK);
+
+        $sftp->enableStatCache();
     }
 }