Marcos Milla
Former Analyst at the Federal Reserve, ETF/Stock Newsletter Author
Nvidia will probably still make money over the next five years, but at a $5.4T market cap it has less room to run than other chip names. Broadcom, Micron, AMD, SanDisk, Marvell, Western Digital, TSMC, SK hynix, ASML and Lam Research offer more upside, with market caps ranging from $164B for Western Digital to $2.3T for TSMC. x.comÂ
Micron, SanDisk and SK Hynix look very bullish because Samsung says the memory shortage will worsen in 2027. x.comÂ
SK hynix's surging earnings challenge the idea that commodity memory profits are about to vanish. The attached report says third-quarter operating profit rose more than sevenfold and its operating margin reached 80%; analysts quoted there expect the earnings climb to continue at least through next year. Micron and Samsung are named alongside SK hynix. x.comÂ
Inflation, rising rates, Chinese competition and rising AI-related financial costs are pressuring the memory market. Micron, Samsung and SK hynix look exposed; waiting for the cycle to turn. x.com x.comÂ
Sandisk's fast-growing data-center revenue strengthens its case among memory names with upside. Data-center revenue rose 61% quarter over quarter; revenue of $11.03B, adjusted EPS of $49.51 and adjusted gross margin of 85.1% all exceeded estimates. For upside among Micron, Sandisk and Kioxia, Micron ranks first, then Sandisk, then Kioxia, until further guidance. x.com x.comÂ
Sandisk's earnings growth makes its valuation look unusually low, with guidance showing no slowdown. Revenue rose 378% year over year, and $52.5 GAAP EPS implies a 6.1 annualized P/E, below Micron's. Sandisk's roughly 85% gross margin also compares favorably with SK hynix's apparently sub-50% NAND margin. Next-quarter guidance calls for $12.2 billion-$12.6 billion of revenue and $55-$57 non-GAAP EPS. x.com x.com x.comÂ
The memory drawdown is worrying for Micron and SK hynix bulls, because if Bernstein's estimates are right, earnings will collapse and holding these stocks will feel gnarly. Markets are seldom wrong about why stocks trade at the valuations they do. x.com x.comÂ
Micron, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix look very cheap if their long-term agreements do not impose overly conservative price ceilings. Greater clarity on those pricing terms could send memory stocks up 30% in a single day. x.comÂ
HBM advances are creating strong, durable moats and long-term pricing power for Micron and SK hynix. x.comÂ
Micron and SanDisk are a skip: DDR4 prices rising 50% quarter on quarter is already consensus, and both stocks have run on it. The surprise sits in legacy DRAM makers Nanya and Winbond, which are hard to access. The more promising gap is on the optical receive side, in photodiodes, InP substrates and germanium supply, rather than in crowded EMLs and switch optics. x.comÂ
Micron and SK hynix pricing in a memory shortage past 2030 extends the memory-cycle case beyond the Street's 2028 expectation. SK hynix's record quarter adds evidence: per Wall St Engine, revenue rose 328% to $78.9B, operating profit rose 632% to $62.8B, and operating margin hit 80%. Agentic and physical AI could add demand as they roll out. x.com x.comÂ