What to Watch in Micron’s Earnings After the Close

Micron is set to report its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results late on Thursday, and analysts are looking for strong growth on the top and bottom lines.

Published September 20, 2018, 11:45am ET · 2 min read

Three dark gray integrated circuit chips, each with the white "Micron®" logo, are stacked and angled on a bright white surface. The chips display multiple metallic silver pins along their sides and cast subtle shadows.
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) continues its transformation, developing essential components for advanced computing. The company is positioned as a key player in the evolving landscape of AI chip technology. © Micron Technology Inc.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is set to report its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results late on Thursday. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters call for $3.33 in earnings per share (EPS) and $8.25 billion in revenue. In the same period of last year, the company posted EPS of $2.02 and $6.14 billion in revenue.

In a recent report, Cowen analyst Karl Ackerman reiterated an Outperform rating on Micron but lowered the price target to $62 from $72, implying an upside of 42% from Monday’s closing price of $43.58.

It’s worth pointing out that Ackerman was cautious ahead of this coming report. He believes that investor sentiment is “dreadful,” but at the same time he doesn’t dismiss the “incremental risk in H2 of this year as our field trip in Asia last week reveals a less benign supply/demand environment for DRAM.”

Looking ahead, he expects Micron to guide below estimates for the first time in the past eight quarters, although he did mention that this notion appears to already be priced in to the stock.

Excluding Thursday’s move, Micron has outperformed the broad market, with the stock up 25% in the past 52 weeks. In just 2018 alone the stock is up only 9.5%.

A few other analysts weighed in on Micron ahead of the report:

  • JPMorgan reiterated an Overweight rating with an $84 target.
  • RBC has an Outperform rating with a $70 price target.
  • Deutsche Bank has a Buy rating with a $60 price target.
  • BMO Capital Markets has a Hold rating with a $45 target.
  • Macquarie has an Outperform rating and a $70 price target.
  • MKM Partners has a Buy rating with a $63 price target.
  • Goldman Sachs has a Neutral rating and a $50 target.

Shares of Micron were last seen up about 4% at $45.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $83.60 and a 52-week trading range of $34.09 to $64.66.

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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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