Key Points
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The adoption of AI has kicked demand for memory and storage chips into high gear in recent years.
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Micron Technology is a leading provider of these specialty semiconductors.
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Despite its crucial role in AI and data centers, the stock remains attractively priced.
- 10 stocks we like better than Micron Technology ›
There are currently 13 companies with market caps of $1 trillion or more, but only four are members of the elite $3 trillion club (as of this writing): Nvidia at $5.3 trillion, Alphabet at $4.6 trillion, Apple at $4.3 trillion, and Microsoft at $3.1 trillion (as of market close on Tuesday).
One company that has yet to join either club is Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), but I’m convinced that the continuing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) will send this semiconductor specialist to the next level. Micron is one of the world’s foremost providers of memory and storage chips, and demand is off the charts, driving the company’s operating and financial results to new heights.
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The company has a market capitalization of $784 billion as I write this, so it might seem premature to suggest its market cap is headed to $3 trillion. If I’m right, investors who buy Micron stock right now could enjoy returns of 282% if it joins the ranks of three-trillionaires. Here’s why I believe it will.
Image source: Getty Images.
Short supply, strong results
While graphics processing units (GPUs) make all the headlines, Micron makes the flash memory and storage chips that power them. The company’s dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips are crucial components in the data centers powering the AI revolution. Supply is limited as demand is accelerating.
Micron has taken several steps to increase supply. The company recently broke ground on a wafer fabrication facility (fab) in Singapore that’s scheduled to come online in 2028, with additional HBM packaging beginning as early as 2027. Micron also has new fabs coming online in Japan, New York, and Idaho over the next few years, which should boost supply.
The unrelenting demand show ups in Micron’s financial results. In its fiscal 2026 second-quarter (ended Feb. 26), Micron delivered record revenue of $23.9 billion, which jumped 196% year over year and 75% sequentially, driving record earnings per share (EPS) up 162% to $12.07. The company also set new records for free cash flow and gross margin.
Speaking of gross margin, Micron’s profitability continued to expand, with its gross margin nearly doubling to 74.4% from 36.8% in the prior-year quarter, while its operating margin more than tripled to 67.6%. Micron’s increasing scale and leverage are expected to drive further margin expansion.
Management is predicting this trend will continue, as its Q3 outlook calls for new records in revenue, gross margin, EPS, and free cash flow. Its forecast calls for revenue of $33.5 billion, up 260% year over year, and EPS of $18.90, up more than 10-fold, both at the midpoint of its guidance. This includes ongoing margin expansion, with an expected gross profit margin of 81%.
The path to $3 trillion
Micron’s position in the AI ecosystem makes it a pick-and-shovel play to benefit from the accelerating adoption of AI and the ongoing data center boom. With many of the world’s largest chipmakers and hyperscale data center operators as its customers, Micron is well-positioned to continue profiting from the trend.
Wall Street expects Micron to generate revenue of $109.7 billion in 2026, giving it a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of roughly 7. Assuming its P/S ratio remains constant, Micron will need to generate revenue of roughly $420 billion annually to support a $3 trillion market cap.
Investors shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Wall Street is predicting annual growth of 41% over the next five years. If the company achieves those relatively low hurdles — particularly given its current triple-digit growth — it will reach a $3 trillion market cap by 2030. That said, Micron’s growth and Wall Street’s expectations have been growing exponentially in recent years, so that outlook is likely conservative.
Demand for cutting-edge memory processors continues to accelerate. The semiconductor market is expected to reach nearly $1.6 trillion in 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Demand for Micron’s cutting-edge memory and storage chips is surging, and the secular tailwinds driving this demand are expected to continue.
Despite its blistering growth, Micron trades for just 12 times forward earnings (as of this writing), giving astute investors the opportunity to buy the stock at an attractive price — before it joins the elite $3 trillion fraternity.
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Danny Vena, CPA has positions in Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Apple, Micron Technology, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
