To: Donald Wennerstrom who wrote (77172 ) 9/26/2017 4:28:50 PM From: Sam 1 RecommendationRecommended By Donald Wennerstrom
Respond to of 95587 Way too early to call anything. Have to wait for the CC. IMHO, some people with a lot of money want this to go down tomorrow. Or at least not go up too much. And that is what this afternoon's selling was about. This piece is from earlier today. Meant to post it a couple of hours ago, forgot about it.Micron to Gain Thanks to Great DRAM/NAND Supply/Demand Picture Times are changing for the DRAM chip market, and Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU ) is ready to prove to investors that it can take advantage of better DRAM/NAND demand along with advantageously low supply. Evercore ISI analyst C J Muse makes quite a strong bullish case, maintaining a Buy rating on shares of MU while lifting the price target from $40 to $50, which implies a 38% increase from where the stock is currently trading. (To watch Muse’s track record, click here ) With the chip giant poised to capture $5 in EPS by the end of this year, which is substantially higher than this time of fiscal last year’s mere $0.25, the analyst cannot help but ask: “Is it truly different this time or does all of this simply portend a cyclical peak?” “We continue to point investors to the ‘sustainability’ of the current DRAM cycle,” elaborates the analyst, “led by” key factors, including better demand; “weighed down” supply; and “improving NAND competitive positioning in the move to 3D” (which Muse translates to mean EPS and free cash flow could keep going up next year. With this in mind, the analyst projects $7.20 in EPS for next year with free cash flow per share of $5.00. Muse explains, “As investors begin to believe in a longer and stronger cycle that can sustain elevated earnings, look for shares to move higher. Into earnings, we look for another beat and raise, with Aug Q’s annualized earnings approaching $8 (if not more) and Nov Q even higher as management confirms a still very healthy supply/demand setup for both DRAM and NAND.” Moreover, there is a new CEO in town for the chip giant, and the analyst expects Sanjay Mehrotra will focus a “sustained emphasis” upon “execution, improving competitive positioning, and cleaning up the balance sheet.” “So yes, this time is different,” surmises Muse, who believes: “Memory is structurally more important. Micron is closing the gap with Samsung. The DRAM oligopoly is cash-cowing DRAM and focused on investments in the faster-growing 3D NAND market. And yes, DRAM capex is moving higher, but this reflects rising capital intensity – not acceleration in capacity.” Wall Street is overwhelmingly putting its chips behind this chip giant, as TipRanks analytics exhibit MU as a Strong Buy. Based on 20 analysts polled by TipRanks in the last 3 months, 18 rate a Buy on Micron stock while 2 maintain a Hold. The 12-month average price target stands at $43.47, marking a nearly 21% upside from where the stock is currently trading. smarteranalyst.com