Stock Market Today, Jan. 2: Micron Surges as Bernstein Hikes Price Target 20%

Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), a DRAM and flash memory producer, closed Friday at $315.42, up 10.52% on the session. Trading volume reached 41.9 million shares, about 62% above its three-month average of 25.8 million shares.

Friday’s move followed analyst upgrades on Micron's price, based on rising demand for high-bandwidth memory. Investors are watching how AI-driven demand shapes pricing power and capacity plans. Micron Technology IPO'd in 1984 and has grown 22,231% since going public.

How the markets moved today

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) added 0.19% to finish at 6,858, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.03% to close at 23,236. Industry peers, Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX) and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC), also rose today as investors react to AI data-center build-outs and global memory supply shortages.

What this means for investors

Micron was one of the top performers in the S&P 500 in 2025 and today's surge suggests there's still considerable interest in the working memory that's essential for AI. Micron popped today on news that Bernstein SocGen Group had upped its price target for the stock from $270 to $330 with an "outperform" rating.

Micron leaders told investors on a December earnings call that the total addressable market in HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) would reach $100 billion by 2028 -- two years earlier than originally thought. Bernstein argues that DRAM demand (dynamic random access memory) will continue to grow.

Emma Newbery has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.