BUSINESS

Micron has honestly been one of the most rewarding stocks to follow in 2026. The company has beaten consensus for seven consecutive quarters, TheStreet reported.

The memory shortage is lasting far longer than analysts expected. Micron keeps setting records, pulling back, and confusing investors who cannot reconcile extraordinary fundamentals with violent post-earnings moves.

Polymarket traders currently price a 96% chance Micron beats estimates when it reports its latest numbers on Sept. 30. And yet, after the last earnings surprise on June 24, the stock fell 41% in 35 days. That was from the June 25 all-time high of $1,255 to a low of $737 on July 29, according to Yahoo Finance. 

That gap — near-certain beat, uncertain stock reaction — is the entire Micron investment debate right now.  And JPMorgan’s note ahead of Sept. 30’s fiscal Q4 report is the clearest articulation of the bull case heading into that moment.

Also Read: Micron Technology Inc. Latest News 

JPMorgan’s Micron call and what the pricing data says

JPMorgan reiterated its Overweight rating and $1,540 price target on Micron (MU), calling the Q4 setup “constructive” and noting that “multiple beat-and-raise levers still in play,” according to the firm’s preview note.

The core of the thesis is pricing. Micron management had previously warned of “a meaningful moderation in the rate of price increases” heading into Q4. 

JPMorgan says that moderation did not materialize as severely as the warning implied — pricing momentum held through the quarter. When combined with continued structural tightness in both DRAM and NAND markets, the firm expects Q4 revenue, gross margin, and earnings to come in above consensus estimates.

More on Micron

History of Micron: The story behind the computer memory giant

Micron Technology’s stock buybacks explained

Who owns Micron Technology? A look at its top investors

Micron’s own Q4 guidance was $50 billion in revenue, plus or minus $1 billion; non-GAAP EPS of $31, plus or minus $1; and a gross margin near 86%, according to Micron’s guidance materials. 

Consensus already sits above both the midpoints, reflecting market expectations that management’s guidance is conservative, as it has been every quarter this year.

Management’s stated view is that DRAM and NAND supply-demand conditions are expected to remain tight beyond calendar year 2027.

Micron’s fundamental foundation heading into Q4 fiscal 2026

The Q3 fiscal 2026 results I covered for TheStreet set the bar for Sept. 30 and were historic.

Revenue of $41.46 billion grew 346% year over year (YOY)

Non-GAAP EPS of $25.11 exceeded the $20.28 consensus — the seventh consecutive beat

Free cash flow was $18.30 billion

Data center revenue exceeded $25 billion for the quarter, an annualized run rate above $100 billion

DRAM revenue reached $31.3 billion, up 343% YOY

NAND revenue hit $9.9 billion, up 361% YOY

HBM4 shipments crossed $1 billion in revenue. 

Signed 16 multi-year Strategic Customer Agreements, 14 of which carry approximately $100 billion in total revenue at minimum-price termsSource: Micron’s Q3 earnings presentation.

That contracted backlog is what gives JPMorgan confidence that the supply-demand tightness has real staying power rather than being a seasonal phenomenon.

Micron’s own Q4 guidance was $50 billion in revenue, plus or minus $1 billion; non-GAAP EPS of $31, plus or minus $1; and a gross margin near 86%.Shutterstock

The broader analyst picture is that the beat is expected

JPMorgan’s conviction heading into Q4 is not unique. Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight with a $1,200 target and said near-term conditions are “still very good,” though it expects earnings estimate revisions to be “less so than prior quarters.” 

The firm’s core observation is that “Duration debates take longer to pay off, as there’s no real way to prove that near term.”

Wells Fargo’s Aaron Rakers cut his price target to $1,400 from $1,525 while maintaining an Overweight rating. He said Micron’s next phase increasingly depends on investor confidence in how long the memory shortage will last and how quickly SCA engagements expand. I covered that note in detail a week ago.

Citi, meanwhile, raised its target to $1,300 from $1,150 and maintained a Buy rating, citing stronger DRAM pricing and continued undersupply, TheStreet reported. From a previous report, I have a list of what every Wall Street member thinks of Micron.

Of 21 analysts covering MU over the past three months, 20 rate it a buy or strong buy and 1 rate it a hold. Zero sell, according to TipRanks.

There is also a new legal wrinkle, according to Reuters. Netlist filed an ITC complaint alleging Micron infringes its High Bandwidth Memory patents, also naming Nvidia, Broadcom, and Alphabet as downstream customers. 

Investors will also watch whether Q4’s call addresses the legal exposure, though the near-term earnings focus is likely to dominate the session’s reaction.

MU trades near $1,072, up 275% year-to-date and 555% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance — the fourth-best S&P 500 performer, according to Slickcharts. The all-time high of $1,255 was set June 25. The stock is 15% below that level heading into Q4.

Whether it recovers that gap depends on what management says about HBM4 volumes, SCA expansion, and Q1 fiscal 2027 guidance — not just whether the Q4 number beats, which it almost certainly will.

Related: Micron’s memory boom faces a new test