Why is Micron's stock crashing?

Micron is getting hit in the market right after posting one of its biggest quarters ever.Since reporting last Wednesday, the stock has fallen about 14%, including a 2.2% drop on Tuesday.

The reason behind the crash is simple. Micron sits right in the middle of the AI hardware rush because advanced chips need a lot of memory.

Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung control nearly the whole market for the memory used in high-performance chips sold to companies like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), which has turned memory into one of the tightest pieces of the supply chain.

Over the past year, Micron stock has climbed more than 300%. It is also the only tech company among the top 10 in the U.S. still in the green this year, while Oracle and Microsoft are both down more than 20%.

Customers fight for supply as Micron posts huge second-quarter numbers

Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said on Thursday, “Memory today is very tight supply and supply cannot be brought up that easily, and you are seeing that in our results.” He also said the shortage is so bad that key customers are getting only “50% to two-thirds of their requirements.”

For fiscal Q2 2026, Micron reported $23.86 billion in revenue. A year earlier, the company posted $8.05 billion. That means revenue almost tripled in twelve months. The company also pointed to fresh records across revenue, gross margin, earnings per share, and free cash flow. In the earnings report, Sanjay said, “Micron set new records across revenue, gross margin, EPS, and free cash flow in fiscal Q2, driven by a strong demand environment, tight industry supply, and our strong execution, and we expect significant records again in fiscal Q3.”

He added another line that matters because it explains why the company is spending heavily to keep up. “In the AI era, memory has become a strategic asset for our customers, and we are investing in our global manufacturing footprint to support their growing demand.” Sanjay also said the board approved a 30% increase in the quarterly dividend.

Micron says its net capital spending came to $5.0 billion, while adjusted free cash flow reached $6.9 billion with $16.7 billion in cash, marketable investments, and restricted cash.

Investors take profit even as Micron raises the bar for next quarter

Oh but Wall Street did not hate Micron’s earnings report. Far from it actually. Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan all raised their price targets after the earnings release. Still, the stock fell.

Citi analyst Atif Malik gave one reason for that:- the concerns about higher fiscal 2027 capital spending and worries over peak gross margins likely pushed investors to lock in gains after the stock’s strong run into earnings. He pointed to projected gross margin of 81%, which stands above Nvidia’s 75%.

Micron’s Cloud Memory Business Unit posted revenue of $7.749 billion, up from $5.284 billion in FQ1-26 and $2.947 billion in FQ2-25. Gross margin came in at 74%, up from 66% and 55%. Operating margin rose to 66%, from 55% and 45%.

The Core Data Center Business Unit reported revenue of $5.687 billion, compared with $2.379 billion in the prior quarter and $1.830 billion a year earlier. Gross margin improved to 74% from 51% and 47%. Operating margin climbed to 67% from 37% and 33%.

The Mobile and Client Business Unit generated $7.711 billion in revenue, up from $4.255 billion in FQ1-26 and $2.236 billion in FQ2-25. Gross margin jumped to 79% from 54% and 15%. Operating margin came in at 76%, up from 47% and 1%.

The Automotive and Embedded Business Unit brought in $2.708 billion, compared with $1.720 billion in the previous quarter and $1.034 billion a year earlier. Gross margin rose to 68% from 45% and 21%. Operating margin increased to 62% from 36% and 6%.

For fiscal Q3 2026, Micron guided for revenue of $33.5 billion, plus or minus $750 million, on both GAAP and non-GAAP bases. The company expects gross margin of about 81% under both measures.

Micron’s operating expenses are projected at roughly $1.60 billion under GAAP and $1.40 billion under non-GAAP. Diluted earnings per share are expected at $18.90, plus or minus $0.40, under GAAP, and $19.15, plus or minus $0.40, under non-GAAP, according to the earnings report.

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