....Anyone continuing to expect remarkable things out of Apple would probably look favorably upon Micron, whose memory is used in the new iPhones, due its acquisition of Japan's Elpida Memory. ... At a price of $20.25, shares trade at only 9.9x 2014E earnings, based on 27 opinions, as shown currently on Yahoo! Finance. The consensus growth rate for the next five years is much higher than 9.9, at 18.1%, indicating that the stock is a bargain.
In many instances it can make sense to look for a pullback from the 52 week high. Seeking Alpha records MU's as $20.50. If, after publicity subsides, there is no big news out of Apple, an entry point at a price near $18.95 would be inviting.
There are other considerations. Insider sales data over the past two months exhibits a who's who list amongst company executives......
Kicky
: Micron Shares Rise After Praise From Einhorn
Shares in the memory chip maker jumped more than 6 percent on Thursday after Mr. Einhorn disclosed that his hedge fund, Greenlight Capital, owned a stake in the company. They closed at $19.98.
Micron was just one of several stocks to move in part because of the hedge fund manager?s widely followed commentary..... it was Mr. Einhorn whose comments drew the most attention. In discussing Micron ? a company he bet against more than a decade ago ? the investor described the company as one of the survivors of the market for memory chips. It?s a tough industry with only three major players, but the upside remains big, as flash memory continues to be in high demand in devices like smartphones and video game consoles. http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/...icrontechnologyinc&_r=0
....recommended an investment at $17.03 per share mainly because of three themes: The restructuring progress the company achieved, explosive gross margin growth with return to profitability and the bargain purchase Elpida transaction which I suggested could be instrumental in driving Micron's EPS growth going forward. I have also pointed out that I believe that the market underestimates Micron's innovation leadership which is a distinctive advantage in a competitive sector and it should benefit the company as the fragmented chip industry consolidates. In addition, Micron's $22.5 billion market capitalization makes it a heavyweight in the chip market and gives it the necessary standing to be a driver of industry consolidation....
The Einhorn endorsement certainly gave the shares further tailwinds and propelled them to a flurry of new 52-week Highs just after the Einhorn announcement. Einhorn seems to bet on further industry consolidation and higher gross margins in a cyclical industry. Micron itself plays an essential part in driving industry consolidation as witnessed by its Elpida transaction.Micron has returned a massive 252% over the last 52 weeks and 228% YTD. I think shares are currently overbought and a correction could drive shares back to the $20 range. Long-term investors playing a strengthening memory chip market and cyclical demand for semiconductors shouldn't be worried about short-term setbacks and might even want to take advantage of pullbacks opportunistically.
One of the reasons I am not selling out my Micron position is because the company still trades cheaply compared to its earnings prospects. I still see meaningful upside potential for Micron based on Elpida's EPS contribution and multiple expansion. Despite a return of more than 200% this year alone Micron still trades at less than 10x times forward earnings. At the same time, other companies in the semiconductor business fetch significantly higher valuations.........
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- TheStreet Ratings team has reiterated its "buy" rating for Micron Technology Inc (MU_) with a score of B. The ratings Team has this to say about Micron:
"We rate Micron Technology Inc (MU) a BUY. This is driven by a few notable strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and attractive valuation levels. Although the company may harbor some minor weaknesses, we feel they are unlikely to have a significant impact on results."...
Sentiment for the company was high after getting it received a positive wrap in a Bernstein Research report. The investment firm gave the Boise-based business an "outperform" rating and price target of $24 on the belief demand for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and flash memory, products in Micron's portfolio, would continue to recover.
Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
The revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 9.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 44.8%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share. Powered by its strong earnings growth of 729.16% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 272.71% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the S&P 500 Index during the same period. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, MU should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year......The net income increased by 802.9% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from -$243 million to $1,708 million.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Micron Technology (MU_) continues to add to 2013 gains, proving it's one of the top performing semiconductor stocks. By midday, Micron had gained 3.5% to $23.09, as 27.7 million shares had changed hands. The company was the most actively-traded stock on the Nasdaq, exceeding Facebook (FB_) and Plug Power (PLUG_) by more than 10 million in volume.
The stock surged towards the end of November after Greenlight Capital hedge fund manager David Einhorn revealed he was long.
"You look at the multiples and what their earnings power here can be, we think [Micron's] earnings are going to be a lot better than people think. Next year, maybe $3.50 a share, the following year maybe $4 a share," Einhorn told CNBC in an interview last month. ........
Year to date, shares of the Boise, Idaho-based Micron surged 264.7%, topping the Merril Lynch Semiconductors Holders (SMH) ETF, which is up 38.48% since January.
TheStreet Ratings team rates Micron Technology Inc as a Buy with a ratings score of B. The team has this to say about their recommendation: ......
RTTNews.com) - Rambus Inc. ( RMBS ) announced that it has signed a broad patent cross license agreement with Micron Technology, Inc.( MU ). The agreement requires quarterly royalty payments to Rambus over the next seven years capped at $10 million per quarter, with a rolling twelve-month cap fixed at $40 million, or $280 million during the initial term.
Under deal, Micron gains the right to use any Rambus patent for manufacture of specified integrated circuit products, including any memory integrated circuit products. Certain of these memory products will enjoy a perpetual, paid-up license after the end of the initial term.
In addition, Micron will have the option to extend the initial term of this agreement for additional renewal periods.
As part of this agreement, the two companies have settled all outstanding patent and antitrust claims, and the agreement covers both Micron and Elpida products......
dass der Wert so gut läuft, ist hier ziemlich wenig los. Ich habe Micron mit als letztes aufgenommen, aber sie haben die beste Monatsperformance. Auch jetzt, trotz "Tapering-Sorgen".
BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 17, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:MU), one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced its collaboration with Broadcom Corporation to develop the industry's first solution designed for customers challenged by an intrinsic DDR3 timing parameter called tFAW, or four activate window.
tFAW refers to a DDR3 timing parameter that restricts data throughput in server, storage and networking applications and can compromise bandwidth by 15 to 35 percent. With every new DRAM generation, the access granularity is becoming double, causing some timing parameters like tRDD and tFAW to restrict data throughput. This creates challenges for high-performance applications because no more than four bank activate commands can be issued in any given tFAW period.
Micron Technology shares are hovering near $22.70 today, and call volume has roughly quadrupled put volume at midday. Most active is the weekly 12/27 24-strike call, where more than 10,400 contracts have changed hands. Implied volatility has shot higher, and volume exceeds open interest, suggesting the out-of-the-money positions are being bought to open. Some of this activity could be the work of short sellers hedging their bearish bets, as nearly 14% of MU's float has been sold short.
Shares of Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) were under extreme selling pressure following reports that a major competitor will build a new factory in South Korea.
South Korean based SK Hynix Inc, the world's second-largest memory chip maker will invest 4 trillion won (approximately $3.8 billion) next year to satisfy what it sees as growing demand for mobile devices.
Construction on the factory will begin in 2014 with mass production of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM chips to hit the production lines in 2015......
......The recent increase in demand is primarily driven by the drop in supply due to the fire which destroyed SK Hynix (OTC:HXSCF) manufacturing facility in China in September. The facility is not expected to resume operations until January 2014 and will need more time to revert to its original output and quality levels. However, it is good to know that the increase in demand which pulls product prices higher is expected to continue in the coming years as companies and other entities require more to support their operations. To support this anticipated surge in memory demand, Micron has strategically purchased the Japanese manufacturer Elpida, which can help it deliver 300mm DRAM. With this, we can see that the macroeconomic and microeconomic conditions favor Micron's business. The demand which is driven externally is managed well by the company through by making sure that they will be able to deliver majority of it. This could further boost the company's gross margin which is set at 30% last quarter.
Innovating through Win-Win Partnerships
Micron has announced collaboration with Broadcom Corporation (BRCM) to develop a solution for the DRAM timing challenge. As the global IP traffic grows at a compound rate of 23 percent, there is a need to find innovative solutions to curb restrictions in data output. The solution, as confirmed by Broadcom, improves operations by 18 percent per second ......
Micron is a "Strong Buy"
As Micron aligns itself more with developing what its customers need and arm itself with the capacity to deliver it, it is able to enjoy continuously better financials and stock valuation. The economics governing this success is not rocket science. As the world advances in technology, data management and networking become key inputs for any business which translate to higher demand.....http://seekingalpha.com/article/...is-going-for-the-win?source=nasdaq