BUSINESS

Forget nap pods and slippers — startups are luring top talent with cash.

Hovering underwater, I felt as if I were witnessing a form of planetary circulation. Nutrients moving from forest to coast, coast to reef, reef to the deep ocean.

New data provide estimates of what college actually costs for families with different incomes, helping them sharpen their savings targets.

With the high scores of Daredevil: Born Again season 3, the show has set an MCU record on Rotten Tomatoes compares to its other series.

For Micron Technology (MU), the problem is not the possible elimination of the AI boom.Instead, it’s whether the best days are now over, with much of the potential already priced in.In a latest move, Citigroup cut its price target on Micron to $425 from $510 after spot prices for a mainstream DDR5 16GB DRAM product fell about 6% since Micron reported earnings on March 18. Citi maintained its Buy rating, but the message is landing. What is the message? Essentially, one of Wall Street’s favorite AI memory stocks can become unsettled when short-term pricing shifts in the opposite direction.That matters because Micron just delivered an exemplary quarter, which most chipmakers will want coming out of earnings season. Revenue nearly tripled from a year earlier to $23.86 billion, non-GAAP earnings reached $12.20 a share, and the company guided fiscal third-quarter revenue to about $33.5 billion, far above where Wall Street had been.CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said Micron set records across revenue, gross margin, earnings per share and free cash flow.However, the prices of memory stocks do not trade on revenue alone.Instead, the focus is on a mix of pricing, supply and fear.And now the fear is that a new efficiency push from Google (GOOGL) could now make a huge difference. The new efficiency push is making some AI workloads less memory-hungry just as Micron is ramping spending and investors are beginning to inquire how long the memory crunch will last.Shares were trading at about $353.31 on April 1, up roughly 4.6% on the day, but the bounce shows how erratic the share price movement is lately. Micron is still one of the clearest ways to play the AI-driven demand for advanced memory. Yet, it remains a classic reminder for investors that are looking to play the markets about what happens when Wall Street starts worrying about what happens after the shortage. Micron still has the numbers bulls want to seeThe easiest mistake investors can make here is to read Citi’s target cut as a sign that Micron’s business is suddenly over.More AI Stocks:Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after eventBank of America updates Palantir stock forecast after private meetingMorgan Stanley drops eye-popping Broadcom price targetThat is not what the numbers indicate.Micron’s fiscal second quarter was enormous. Revenue jumped to $23.86 billion from $8.05 billion a year earlier.Non-GAAP net income climbed to $14.02 billion, or $12.20 per share. The company also reported $11.90 billion in operating cash flow and $6.9 billion in adjusted free cash flow. Then it gave fiscal third-quarter guidance for about $33.5 billion in revenue and around $19.15 in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Those numbers tell of a very robust demand cycle currently at work.The reason is simple: AI servers need a lot of memory, especially the high-performance chips that are in use in data centers. Micron is one of only three major suppliers of high-bandwidth memory chips, along with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The strong demand from tech giants building AI infrastructure helped the company make record profits in the last quarter.Micron is acting like that demand is real and durable.Micron increased its fiscal 2026 capital spending plan by $5 billion, taking total planned spending to more than $25 billion, with spending set to go up again as construction ramps.Most of that extra money is going toward expanding manufacturing, like buying a new fab in Taiwan and paying more for construction because of expected future growth in output. Investors may be scared by that kind of spending because it brings up the old memory-cycle question: if everyone builds more, will prices stay high?Related: Apple just got a brutal iPhone 18 warningHowever, Citi is not revealing the bullish case.The bank maintained its earnings estimates for Micron in place and said memory suppliers are now discussing three- to five-year strategic agreements with hyperscale customers.Those deals could include promises to buy a certain amount, prepayments, and price changes based on how the market is doing. That matters because long-term contracts can help keep the business stable even when spot prices drop and traders start to panic.This is why the stock story is more complicated that the headline will have you know.Micron’s business is still thriving. Its customer base still appears hungry for memory. But the stock will no longer trade on just memory momentum alone. Investors want to see proof that the AI memory boom can last through lower spot prices, a bigger spending plan, and new worries that smarter software could make hardware less intense at the edges.Related: Nvidia CEO makes bombshell call on AI’s next big thingThe conversation repeatedly circles back to Google’s TurboQuant.Google Research said on March 24 that TurboQuant enables “massive compression” for large language models and vector search engines. Google said that high-dimensional vectors can use up a lot of memory and slow down the key-value cache, which it called a fast memory layer that helps systems avoid doing the same work over and over. Some investors think that the memory opportunity gets smaller right away if those bottlenecks can be fixed.But Citi is arguing the fear is to simplified.The bank said that making things more efficient can lower the cost per query, but that cheaper technology often leads to more use, not less. Investors have seen this kind of logic in tech many times before: when something gets cheaper and easier to use, demand can grow enough to more than make up for the efficiency gain. Citi also said that KV cache is still important because as models make more tokens, each new token has to pay attention to the ones that came before it, which keeps memory and compute needs high.

Micron stock gets a harsh reality check from CitiPhoto by Bloomberg on Getty Images

What Micron investors need to watch nextThe near-term question is not whether AI is still in need of memory.It does.The real question is whether spot weakness will remain restricted or broaden to contract pricing.If Micron and its big customers sign long-term contracts that lock in volume and support prices, this decline in stock price may look more like a reset than a warning sign. If lower spot prices start to affect bigger contract talks, Wall Street will probably start to ask harder questions about whether Micron’s huge margins are closer to a peak than investors want to believe.That’s why Citi’s move is important, even though the bank kept its Buy rating.It doesn’t mean that Micron is broken. It says that Micron has more to prove now. The stock needs to prove that its AI-powered strength can hold up in a market that is more skeptical. It has to show that spending more on capital is a smart way to grow, not the first step toward having too much of something. And it has to show that software tricks like TurboQuant that make things run faster don’t make the memory shortage story a shorter-lived trade.The simple version for everyday readers is this: Micron is selling a product that AI still needs, but investors are worried that the market might be getting too good too fast.The message is clearer for people who invest in the stock market: Micron is still one of the best AI memory stocks on the board, but it’s also the kind of stock that can drop a lot when traders stop asking how big the boom is and start asking how long it lasts. The company’s most recent results were great. The next part is about showing that the pricing story is just as strong as the revenue story.Key takeaways on Micron and Citi’s target cutCitigroup cut its target on Micron to $425 from $510 after mainstream DDR5 16GB DRAM spot prices fell about 6% since Micron’s earnings report.Citi kept its Buy rating and maintained earnings forecasts, signaling concern about near-term pricing rather than a collapse in the long-term thesis.Micron’s fiscal second quarter was still huge, with $23.86 billion in revenue and guidance for about $33.5 billion in fiscal third-quarter revenue.Reuters reported that Micron lifted fiscal 2026 capital spending by $5 billion to more than $25 billion, which has raised fresh worries about future supply growth.Google’s TurboQuant has added a new fear that some AI workloads could become less memory-intensive, though Citi argues cheaper AI can ultimately drive more demand.The next key signal for investors is whether spot-market softness spreads into longer-term contract pricing.Related: Micron CEO drops a bombshell after Micron’s huge earnings beat

Livvy Dunne built a million-dollar business from NIL deals and her social media following, partnering with brands like Accelerator Active Energy. Now, she’s shifting her focus toward equity and ownership.

Snowflake (SNOW) stock is starting to look interesting again.Shares are down about 30% this year while the company has just appointed a new chief revenue officer as it tries to reaccelerate growth and improve sales execution.That combination of a lower stock price and a shift at the top is changing the setup, which is why Mizuho’s latest call on Snowflake stock is worth paying attention to.Snowflake valuation snapshotFor those unfamiliar with Snowflake, the company provides a cloud-based data platform that allows organizations to store, process, and analyze large amounts of data. Snowflake makes money through a consumption-based model, where customers pay based on how much compute and storage they use, with higher usage and expanding workloads driving revenue growth over time.Market cap: $52 billionEnterprise value: $50 billionShare price: $154Analysts’ avg target price: $239 (55% implied upside)2-Year expected annual EPS growth: 39.4%Forward P/E ratio: 84.3x
Source: TIKR.com
Mizuho stands by Snowflake after CRO changeSnowflake appointed Jonathan Beaulier as the company’s new CRO on March 31, succeeding Mike Gannon, who left for personal reasons.Beaulieur has led Snowflake’s U.S. Majors Sales since August 2024 and has held several senior sales roles across the company over the past few years, including VP of Sales.Snowflake’s CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy commented, “JB has been a key driver of our success for the past ten years, and has consistently proven his ability to deliver results at scale.”Shares fell 4% on the day of the announcement, even as management reaffirmed Q1 2026 and FY2027 guidance.However, Mizuho reiterated its $220 price target for the stock, implying they still see over 40% upside today for Snowflake stock.More AI Stocks:Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after eventBank of America updates Palantir stock forecast after private meetingMorgan Stanley drops eye-popping Broadcom price targetA leadership change introduces near-term risks to pipeline continuity, deal timing, and expansion motion, just as the company tries to turn product momentum into usage growth.With the stock down significantly and product revenue growth in the second half of FY2026 coming in lighter than expected, the next question is whether Q1 results show stable pipeline trends and continued customer expansion under the new CRO.AI products are the next consumption catalystSnowflake’s next growth driver is its AI product suite, including Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex Code.Across enterprise software, demand for AI and data platforms is shifting toward unified systems that can move from experimentation to production. Companies want a single platform where data, models, and applications all live together rather than siloed tools.That demand backdrop matters because Snowflake’s model only scales when customers increase usage, not when contracts are signed.In Q4 of fiscal year 2026, revenue grew 30% year over year to $1.28 billion, and the question is whether AI can push that higher by driving incremental compute consumption.

Snowflake’s growth now depends on AI driving real production usage that increases consumption beyond its core data warehouse.NurPhoto/Getty Images

If pilots convert into production, Snowflake captures more durable usage tied to applications, workflows, and code generation. This is where the platform thesis gets tested.At the same time, competition is increasing. Microsoft and Google are both pushing deeper into bundled AI and data offerings, raising the bar for what counts as real adoption.What could drive Snowflake higherAI adoption moving from pilots to production drives incremental compute usage acros Cortex Code and Snowflake IntelligenceHigher usage within existing customers lifts revenue without requiring the same level of new customer acquisitionStable sales execution under the new CRO supports enterprise deal conversion and preserves expansion trendsContinued large-customer growth increases consumption ramps and strengthens long-term revenue visibilityMore AI and application workloads improve revenue mix and increase spend per customerOperating leverage improves if usage grows without a proportional increase in sales and marketing spendWhat could pressure the stockCRO transition disrupts pipeline execution and delays enterprise deal conversionSlower deal timing pushes out consumption ramps, impacting near-term revenue growthAI usage remains in pilot mode rather than converting into production-scale workloadsWeak expansion within large customers slows growth even if retention remains stableMisses against reaffirmed guidance hurt credibility and pressure the valuation multipleCompetition from other data and AI platforms limits Snowflake’s share of high-value workloadsKey takeaways for investorsMizuho’s call makes one thing clear. The long-term story for Snowflake is still intact, but what matters now is much more specific than just “execution.”The focus shifts to whether the company can drive higher consumption among existing customers, convert AI interest into actual production usage, and maintain stable enterprise deal flow through the CRO transition. That’s what will actually drive revenue in a consumption model.If usage ramps, especially from AI workloads, the recent reset could look like an opportunity. If not, growth may remain tied to the core warehouse business, which likely isn’t sufficient to meet current expectations.Related: Wall Street resets Amazon stock price targets on AWS AI trends

Elon Musk’s company reported vehicle sales and energy-storage deployments well below Wall Street’s expectations.

raditional grocery stores face competition on multiple fronts, creating a price-driven, margin-squeezing battle for market share.They have always had to fend off warehouse clubs including Costco and Sam’s Club while battling Walmart and Target, which have increased their investment in the grocery space in recent years.Now, supermarkets also have to battle competition from dollar stores and Amazon, which has pulled back from non-Whole Foods grocery stores, but has doubled down on quick delivery. That has created an incredibly challenging market.”U.S. grocery consumers are increasingly focused on low prices…To win greater market share, they need to differentiate themselves on at least one of these fronts — and preferably more: quality products, including fresh food offerings, and a favorable shopping experience,” according to industry analyst Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Sprouts Farmers Market has always offered a differentiated shopping experience, but its CEO Jack Sinclair said during the recent Roth Conference that it has to do better when it comes to value. Sprouts operating from a position of strengthWhile many grocery chains struggled as consumers have pulled back on their spending, Sprouts actually had a very strong year.“Sprouts delivered strong growth in 2025,” Sinclair said in the chain’s fourth-quarter earnings release. “These results were a testament to the strength of our business and our team’s commitment to serving our unique target customer. We are committed to helping our customers live and eat better and remain laser focused on executing our strategy in the coming years.”Sproutsfull year highlights:Net sales totaled $8.8 billion; a 14% increase from 2024Comparable store sales growth of 7.3%Diluted earnings per share of $5.31; compared to diluted earnings per share of $3.75 in 2024Opened 37 new stores, resulting in 477 stores in 24 states as of December 28, 2025The company also has a strong cash position. Ended the year with $257 million in cash and cash equivalents and zero balance on its $600 million revolving credit facility.Authorized a new $1 billion share buyback program and repurchased 4 million shares of common stock.Generated cash from operations of $716 million and invested $224 million in capital expenditures, net of landlord reimbursement.
Source: Sprouts Investor relations
Despite that, Sprouts’ guidance predicted a drop in same-store sales in the first quarter between 1% and 3%.Sprouts sees room to improveDuring the Roth Conference Sinclair made it clear that Sprouts has to offer a better value proposition for customers.”And as you look at going forward, the challenges of gas pricing and some of the dynamics that are going on at the moment, we’ve got to work hard at making sure our affordability of the products that we’re selling our value,” he said.Value, Sinclair noted, isn’t just about having low prices. “And value, meaning at any price point as opposed to trying to change the profile of our price points in the business. So we’re focused very much on value. We think that will help us with traffic going forward. We’re very confident in our margin profile,” he added.Sinclair also shared that Sprouts’ product mix gives it an edge over rivals.”We’ve got differentiated products. So that makes the price comparisons in what you invest in are a little bit different for the world,” he said.More Retail:Walmart fires OpenAI in playbook-changing moveCostco CEO just gave members a new reason to renewBath & Body Works makes big change customers will notice right awayThat’s not true in all areas of the store. “I’ve lived in through my career in a grocery world where everyone’s got the same thing, you’re always looking at everyone else’s prices. We do so in produce. So we’re looking hard in a very volatile marketplace, making sure our value in organic produce is significantly better than anyone else in the industry,” he shared.

Sprouts offers a specialized assortment of groceries.Shutterstock

Americans want value when buying groceriesAmericans have been trading down when it comes to groceries, according to BCG’s data.31% of consumers say that rising prices have made them switch to a lower-cost or discount grocer.46% of consumers are purchasing more store brands than in the past in order to save money.Outgoing Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos noted that his chain has seen a wider array of people shopping its stores, but they all want the same thing.”Customers across all income brackets continue to stress the importance of finding value as they shop, and we are meeting this need as we continue to grow penetration with households of all income levels,” he said during Dollar General’s fourth-quarter earnings call. PwC sees the grocery space as getting even more challenging for operators.”Grocery retailing is a dynamic and highly competitive industry, and it’s becoming more so,” the research firm shared.PwC also sees the need to deliver value as a long-term proposition grocery chains must embrace.”From the shoppers’ perspective, the recession or at least ‘recession-like’ behavior will not end soon, if ever. Shoppers’ value-seeking behaviors have become ingrained. At the same time, digital technologies will make ‘price shopping’ ever easier and more convenient, and the Internet and other new formats will drain volume away from traditional channels,” according to PwC’s Four forces shaping competition in grocery retailing Related: Shoe brand once worth $4B closes all stores, avoids bankruptcy

The imaginary fund created by MarketWatch that invests in stocks hated by Wall Street has outperformed the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and most active fund managers during the Iran war.