Micron stock falls despite AI demand driving blowout earnings, outlook

Micron Technology delivered a blockbuster set of second-quarter results on Wednesday, underscoring the strength of demand for memory chips driven by artificial intelligence and data center expansion.

The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $12.20, far exceeding Wall Street expectations of about $9.19.

Revenue surged to roughly $23.9 billion, well above consensus estimates near $20 billion and marking a nearly threefold increase from the same period last year.

However, Micron stock fell by 2% in after market trading along with the broader market as the Federal Reserve held rates and Fed chief Jerome Powell's comments indicated concerns about persistent inflation.

AI demand drives record performance

Micron’s results highlight the powerful impact of the AI investment boom on the memory chip industry.

Demand for high-performance DRAM and NAND chips used in data centers and AI workloads has outpaced supply, pushing both volumes and pricing higher.

Chief Executive Sanjay Mehrotra pointed to the structural shift underway in the market.

"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," Mehrotra said.

The company’s revenue nearly tripled from $8.05 billion a year earlier, while net income surged to about $13.8 billion.

Gross margins also expanded sharply, reaching over 74%, reflecting strong pricing power and operational efficiency.

Growth was broad-based across segments.

Cloud memory revenue rose more than 160% to $7.75 billion, while the mobile and client business also posted significant gains, climbing to $7.71 billion from $2.24 billion a year ago.

The surge in demand is closely tied to the increasing memory requirements of advanced AI chips, particularly those used in data centers.

Supply constraints support pricing and margins

The company’s strong performance is being supported by tight supply conditions across the memory market.

Industry capacity constraints, particularly in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), have limited supply growth even as demand continues to accelerate.

Micron and its peers, including Samsung and SK Hynix, are ramping production, but no significant new capacity is expected before mid-2027.

“The step-up in our results and outlook are the outcome of an increase in memory demand driven by AI, structural supply constraints and Micron’s strong execution across the board,” Mehrotra said.

The imbalance between supply and demand has driven a sharp increase in memory prices, contributing to the company’s strong revenue growth and margin expansion.

Analysts have noted that the industry may be entering a new phase, where AI-driven demand reduces the traditional cyclicality that has historically defined the memory market.

Strong outlook

Micron also gave a strong forward guidance.

For the current third quarter, the company expects revenue of about $33.5 billion at the midpoint, significantly higher than analyst estimates of around $24.3 billion.

Adjusted earnings per share are projected at approximately $19.15, well above expectations near $12.

The company also announced a 30% increase in its quarterly dividend, raising it to 15 cents per share.

The strong outlook suggests that demand for memory chips is expected to remain robust, particularly as AI infrastructure investments continue to expand globally.