3. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) makes and sells semiconductor products. The mass selloff in the growth sector has created attractive valuations in the chip space. The sector, which has growth catalysts like increasing digitalization, virtual reality, autonomous driving, and the Internet of Things, is trading at discounted prices. The fundamentals of firms like Micron remain strong as chip demand is likely to increase despite macroeconomic headwinds, creating a buying opportunity for investors during a recession period.
On June 6, Citi analyst Christopher Danely maintained a Neutral rating on Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) stock and lowered the price target to $100 from $120, noting that the firm had margin upside in the semiconductor space.
At the end of the first quarter of 2022, 78 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $3.4 billion in Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), compared to 83 in the previous quarter worth $5.5 billion.
In its Q3 2021 investor letter, Hazelton Capital Partners, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“It’s hard to explain how shares of Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), manufacture of DRAM and NAND semiconductor chips, can fall during a global chip shortage. In most industries, focusing on demand can give you a clear insight into what lays ahead for a company. Today, the memory and storage chip industry is no different. However, in the past, companies focused on market share led to the reckless build out of chip fabrication plants (FABs), oversupply, falling average selling prices (ASPs) of memory and storage chips, lower margins, and declining cash flows. As the industry consolidated – there are now just 3 major producers of DRAM and 5 on the NAND side – rational behavior among the key players began to take hold as competitors began focusing more on R&D. Currently, chip pricing remains cyclical although less so than in the past and that cyclicality has a long-term upward bias. The ongoing transition to newer and more robust platforms (3D 176-layer NAND & 1-Alpha node DRAM) has provided the memory and storage chip industry with improved supply capacity under its current manufacturing footprint, ultimately pressuring ASPs. Over the past three years, as most of the large platform conversions have already taken place, being able to add more bits per wafer has reached a saturation point. With no major FAB build outs planned in the near-term by competitors Samsung or SK Hynix, constrained supply and flattening cost curves should lead to durable and upward sloping ASPs once the recent volatility from the chip shortage subsides.
Currently Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) trades at just 8x 2022 estimate earnings. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) is expecting growth in both DRAM and NAND not just from the supply of more chips to data centers, artificial intelligence, the auto sector, and mobile devices, but also from greater demand for gigabyte capacity per unit within those segments. With a healthy balance sheet, improving return on invested capital, and expanding cash flows, not only should Micron benefit from improving future earnings but its multiple should also reflect the transition to a flattening cost curve.”
