Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) shares pulled back in premarket trading as sentiment around AI-driven growth stocks softened, even as analysts remain bullish on long-term demand.
AI Spending Concerns Weigh On Sentiment
Micron stock fell 4.09% in tandem with its semiconductor peers amid concerns about AI-related spending and user growth.
NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NASDAQ:AMD), Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO), Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC), Marvell Technology, Inc (NASDAQ:MRVL) slid on Tuesday.
The OpenAI Problem
Reportedly, OpenAI is falling short of internal targets for revenue and new users, with executives prioritizing cost control amid high subscriber churn and scrutiny of data-center deals.
The same report notes OpenAI previously projected $2.5 billion of advertising revenue this year and $100 billion by 2030, while also telling investors it expects to spend roughly $600 billion on computing power through 2030.
Analysts Stay Bullish On Long-Term Demand
Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes upgraded Micron to a buy, saying the stock could gain another 41% over the next 12 months, CNBC reported on Monday.
He said AI is driving "the unusual durability of the margin and demand profiles," adding, "We are only in the early innings of this AI cycle, and the need for memory has never been stronger."
The broader market was down on Tuesday, with the Dow futures up 0.18%, the S&P 500 down 0.68%, and the Nasdaq down 1.29%.
Sector leadership leaned defensive and commodity-linked, led by Energy up 1.81% and Consumer Staples up 0.73%, with market breadth still positive as 6 sectors advanced and 3 declined.
Technical Analysis
Micron is still trading near the top of its 52-week range after a powerful multi-month run, which keeps the trend constructive even as premarket selling shows up.
The stock is trading 18.1% above its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 35.7% above its 100-day SMA. This setup points to strong short- and intermediate-term trend control by buyers despite near-term volatility.
The relative strength index (RSI), a momentum gauge, is 73.21 after entering overbought territory in April, which often signals faster swings and increased profit-taking risk. RSI at 73.21 shows momentum has been hot enough that even small disappointments can trigger sharper pullbacks.
- Key Resistance: $531.50 — near the recent 52-week high area where rallies have recently stalled.
- Key Support: $447.50 — near the 20-day EMA zone where dip-buying has tended to show up.
Earnings & Analyst Outlook
Looking further out, the next major catalyst for the stock arrives with the June 24, 2026 (estimated) earnings report.
- EPS Estimate: $18.95 (Up from $1.91 YoY)
- Revenue Estimate: $33.47 Billion (Up from $9.30 Billion YoY)
- Valuation: P/E of 24.8x (Suggests fair valuation relative to peers)
Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $524.40. Recent analyst moves include:
- Melius Research: Initiated with Buy (Target $700.00) (April 27)
- UBS: Buy (Raises Target to $535.00) (April 8)
- Citigroup: Buy (Lowers Target to $425.00) (March 31)
Top ETF Exposure
- iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (BATS:VLUE): 8.88% Weight
- First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:FTXL): 7.25% Weight
- Direxion Daily MU Bull 2X ETF (NASDAQ:MUU): 9.44% Weight
Significance: Because MU carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows will likely trigger automatic buying or selling of the stock.
MU Stock Price Activity: Micron Technology shares were down 4.01% at $503.52 during premarket trading on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Image Via Shutterstock
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