Key Points Micron is capitalizing on the growing demand for high-performance memory in AI data centers. The shift from AI training to inferencing could be beneficial to Micron's business over the long term. Analysts call for record earnings over the next few years. 10 stocks we like better than Micron Technology › Shares of Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) have rocketed 247% over the last 12 months (as of Jan. 12). Given the quick rise, the stock may appear expensive at these levels, especially wh ...

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on following a stock's recent price trends, aiming to buy high and sell higher, with the expectation that established trends will continue [1] Company Overview: Micron (MU) - Micron currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B and a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), indicating strong potential for outperformance [2][3] - The stock has shown significant price increases, with shares up 9.41% over the past week and 45.63% over the past month, compared to the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry, which is up 1.61% and 0.05% respectively [5] - Over the past quarter, Micron shares have increased by 67.27%, and by 263.84% over the last year, significantly outperforming the S&P 500, which has moved 6.77% and 21.08% in the same periods [6] Trading Volume - Micron's average 20-day trading volume is 29,824,522 shares, which serves as a bullish indicator when combined with rising stock prices [7] Earnings Outlook - In the past two months, 9 earnings estimates for Micron have been revised upwards, with no downward revisions, leading to an increase in the consensus estimate from $17.17 to $31.36 [9] - For the next fiscal year, 6 estimates have also moved upwards, indicating positive sentiment regarding future earnings [9] Conclusion - Given the strong performance metrics and positive earnings outlook, Micron is positioned as a solid momentum pick and is recommended for investors looking for potential short-term gains [11]

Group 1 - The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving significant growth in the technology sector, particularly benefiting semiconductor stocks [1] - Companies like Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing have experienced heightened interest during the AI revolution, with Nvidia's stock price soaring nearly 1,000% in three years, making it the most valuable company globally [2] - Increased competition in the GPU industry and the rise of custom ASICs from major cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are shifting the narrative around Nvidia, presenting potential challenges to its dominance in the data center market [3] Group 2 - Micron Technology is predicted to become a favored stock among growth investors, as its role in the AI chip landscape is gaining recognition [4] - The semiconductor sector has consistently impressed investors with quarterly earnings, but understanding future demand trends requires deeper insights into big tech's spending patterns [6] - Major tech companies are projected to invest nearly half a trillion dollars in AI infrastructure by 2026, indicating robust demand for AI accelerators [7] - The demand for memory and storage solutions is surging due to increasing AI workloads, positioning Micron Technology favorably as it specializes in high-bandwidth memory chips [8]

Group 1 - Micron Technology is in high demand due to its memory technology being essential for various AI applications [1] - The focus is on identifying high-quality companies that can reinvest capital for significant returns, aiming for a long-term capital compounding capability [1] - A conservative investment strategy is primarily adopted, with occasional pursuit of favorable risk-reward opportunities to maintain portfolio stability [1] Group 2 - The article emphasizes the importance of a long-term perspective in investing, suggesting it may yield higher returns compared to short-term holdings [1]

Group 1 - Micron Technology is in high demand due to its memory technology being essential for various AI applications [1] - The focus is on identifying high-quality companies that can reinvest capital for significant returns, aiming for a long-term capital compounding capability [1] - A conservative investment strategy is primarily adopted, with occasional pursuit of favorable risk-reward opportunities to maintain portfolio stability [1] Group 2 - The article emphasizes the importance of a long-term perspective in investing, suggesting it may yield higher returns compared to short-term holdings [1]

Group 1 - SK Hynix and Micron Technology are competitors in the high-bandwidth memory market specifically for AI chips [1]

Core Insights - Bertram Capital has promoted Chris Brown to Partner, recognizing his significant contributions to the firm since rejoining in 2019 and his previous tenure from 2010 to 2015 [1][2][3] Group 1: Promotion and Contributions - Chris Brown has been involved in 15 platform investments and over 60 add-on acquisitions, contributing to sourcing, execution, and portfolio management [2] - He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of several companies, including AFC Industries and Applied Adhesives, and has played a key role in managing investments in Flow Control Group and Solo Stove [2][3] - His promotion reflects his strong judgment, deep transaction experience, and collaborative mindset, as noted by Jeff Drazan, Managing Partner at Bertram Capital [3] Group 2: Professional Background - Prior to rejoining Bertram, Chris Brown worked in corporate development at Micron Technology, focusing on M&A transactions and corporate strategy [4] - Earlier in his career, he was part of the Syndicated and Leveraged Finance group at J.P. Morgan, where he specialized in structuring leveraged loans and high-yield bonds [4] Group 3: Company Overview - Bertram Capital is a private equity firm that targets investments in lower middle-market companies and has raised over $4.0 billion in capital commitments since its inception in 2006 [6] - The firm employs a value-creation strategy called SMBertram High-5, which includes management augmentation and operational initiatives, supported by its in-house technology team, Bertram Labs [7] - Bertram Capital V focuses on control investments in business services, consumer, and industrial sectors with EBITDA above $7.5 million, while Bertram Ignite I targets both control and non-control investments with a minimum EBITDA of $3 million [8]

Group 1 - AI stocks have been among the best-performing assets over the past five years, but there is still a significant opportunity in the sector [1] - Micron (NASDAQ: MU) is identified as an undervalued AI stock with a forward P/E ratio of 10 and over 50% year-over-year revenue growth [2] - Micron's market cap is approaching $400 billion, and its stock price has more than tripled in the past year, yet it maintains one of the lowest forward P/E ratios among AI stocks [5] Group 2 - Micron's revenue growth is driven by its cloud memory business unit, which nearly doubled year over year, contributing $5.3 billion to the total revenue of $13.6 billion [7] - The company has reported a 56.7% year-over-year revenue growth in its fiscal Q1 2026, with profits increasing by 180.2% [6] - The shortage of high bandwidth memory is a critical bottleneck in the AI infrastructure buildout, positioning Micron favorably for future growth [8]

Summary of Earnings Season Preview for 4Q25 Industry Overview - The report focuses on the S&P 500 index and its earnings performance for the fourth quarter of 2025 (4Q25) - The technology sector, particularly the "Big 6 Tech+" companies, is highlighted as a key driver of earnings growth Core Insights and Arguments - **Earnings Growth Projections**: - S&P 500 EPS is forecasted to grow by 8.8% in 4Q25, with expectations that it may finish closer to 12.2% due to historical trends and potential earnings beats [1][10][20] - The technology sector is expected to lead with an EPS growth of 21.5%, significantly outpacing the rest of the S&P 500, which is projected to grow at only 1.4% [9][10] - **Sector Performance**: - Eight out of eleven sectors are anticipated to show positive growth, with the technology sector being the standout performer [1] - The materials sector is expected to see an EPS increase of 8.8% in 4Q25, with a forecasted acceleration to 20.9% for the full year 2026 [9] - The industrials sector is projected to contract with an EPS growth of -2.4%, heavily influenced by Boeing's performance [9] - Financials, which had strong growth in previous quarters, are expected to moderate to 6.7% this quarter [9] - **Earnings Revisions**: - Revisions for S&P 500 earnings are slightly above historical trends, particularly driven by the technology sector [2] - The consensus for 2026 EPS expectations for S&P 500 ex-Tech+ has remained stable since June, contrasting with typical declines [2] - **Early Reporters**: - Early reporting companies have exceeded EPS estimates by 14.3%, significantly above the historical average of 4.9% [3][39] Additional Important Insights - **Margin Expectations**: - S&P 500 margins are expected to increase by 70 basis points, the lowest expectations since 2Q23, with anticipated margin contractions in several sectors including telecom and healthcare [2] - **Top Contributors and Detractors**: - Notable contributors to EPS growth include NVIDIA (EPS growth of 70.7%), Microsoft (22.7%), and Alphabet (22.0%) [28] - Detractors include Uber (-75.8%), UnitedHealth Group (-69.1%), and Ford (-73.5%) [29] - **Market Dynamics**: - The report indicates a potential setup for a low bar in earnings expectations, particularly for sectors outside of technology [9][22] - **Future Outlook**: - The broader S&P 500 is expected to see a full-year EPS growth of 10% for 2026, with technology continuing to drive significant growth [9] This summary encapsulates the key points from the earnings season preview for 4Q25, highlighting the expected performance of the S&P 500 and its sectors, particularly the technology sector's influence on overall market growth.

Summary of Key Points from J.P. Morgan's Semiconductor Industry Conference Call Industry Overview - The semiconductor industry is experiencing a strong demand driven by AI spending and data center build-outs, with companies like NVIDIA and Marvell seeing significant visibility and demand growth [1][5] - Concerns about a potential "AI bubble" are present, but companies report no signs of deceleration in customer activity, with many already planning for deployments in 2027 [1][5] Company-Specific Insights NVIDIA Corporation - NVIDIA is deeply engaged with customers for CY27 deployments, indicating a "tremendous" demand curve ahead [9] - The company has added to its previously announced backlog of over $500 billion, with expectations of significant revenue from data center operations [9] - Supply chain readiness for CY26 is confirmed, with confidence in managing the transition to new systems [9] - NVIDIA is focusing on physical AI opportunities, particularly in automotive and other industry verticals [9] - A 90% attach rate for networking products in data centers indicates strong integration of NVIDIA's offerings [9] Marvell Technology Inc. - Marvell's short-term bookings are described as "on fire," with expectations of 25% growth in the datacenter business for CY26 and 40% for CY27 [12] - AI custom ASIC revenues are projected to double to $3.6 billion in CY27, driven by strong demand from major customers [12] - The company is well-positioned in networking products, with significant growth expected in optical networking and switching [12] Analog Devices (ADI) - ADI is experiencing a cyclical recovery, particularly in industrial and communications segments, with a 50% year-over-year growth in the datacenter segment [15] - The company anticipates a return to normalized consumption levels in 2026, with strong momentum in automotive and consumer electronics [15] Micron Technology (MU) - Micron has a $10 billion design win pipeline expected to unfold over the next 4-5 years, with strong demand for DRAM and NAND [21] - The company expects at least 20% growth in bit shipments for both DRAM and NAND in CY26, despite supply constraints [21][23] - Pricing for DRAM is forecasted to increase by nearly 60% year-over-year in CY26 due to ongoing supply-demand tightness [23] Synaptics Inc. - Synaptics is focusing on context window memory management as a growing demand vector for NAND, driven by AI applications [24] - The company expects physical AI and robotics to become significant demand drivers for memory in the future [24] Silicon Laboratories Inc. (SLAB) - SLAB is seeing strong revenue growth from electronic shelf labels and smart metering, with expectations of continued momentum into 2026 [18] - The continuous glucose monitoring business is also expected to contribute significantly to revenue growth [18] Market Trends - The overall tone in the memory market is bullish, with improving demand for DRAM and NAND as AI applications increase memory requirements [1][5] - Companies are actively working on new product introductions and demos to capture opportunities in physical AI and edge AI applications [1][5] Conclusion - The semiconductor industry is poised for strong growth driven by AI and data center demands, with key players like NVIDIA, Marvell, and Micron leading the charge. The cyclical recovery in end markets and the focus on innovative applications in AI and edge computing are expected to sustain momentum through 2026 and beyond [1][5][12][21]