Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Sells 12,790 Shares of Micron Technology, Inc. $MU

Key Points

• Salem Investment Counselors reduced its stake in Micron by 5.8%, selling 12,790 shares in Q4 and now holds 206,483 shares worth $58.96M, which is 1.7% of its portfolio and its 14th largest holding.
• Micron posted a blowout Q2—EPS $12.20 vs. $8.50 expected and revenue $23.86B vs. $18.90B expected (revenue +196% YoY)—driving strong guidance, multiple analyst price‑target upgrades and a consensus Buy rating with a $453.55 target.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.15 (annualized $0.60), insiders were net sellers during the quarter, institutional ownership is high at about 80.8%, and the stock trades around a $456B market cap with a ~19x PE.

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. reduced its stake in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 206,483 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock after selling 12,790 shares during the quarter. Micron Technology makes up 1.7% of Salem Investment Counselors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Micron Technology were worth $58,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Micron Technology in the second quarter valued at about $1,980,700,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Micron Technology by 411.9% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,627,022 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock worth $606,873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,918,535 shares during the last quarter. Slate Path Capital LP bought a new stake in Micron Technology during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $317,751,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Micron Technology by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 51,373,591 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $6,331,795,000 after buying an additional 1,349,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Micron Technology by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,023,799 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer's stock valued at $505,942,000 after buying an additional 1,246,773 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.84% of the company's stock.

Micron Technology Stock Performance

MU stock opened at $404.35 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $403.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.33. Micron Technology, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $61.54 and a fifty-two week high of $471.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.90 and a quick ratio of 2.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $456.00 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09 and a beta of 1.50.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The semiconductor manufacturer reported $12.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.50 by $3.70. The firm had revenue of $23.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.90 billion. Micron Technology had a return on equity of 41.16% and a net margin of 41.49%.The company's revenue was up 196.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Micron Technology, Inc. will post 6.08 EPS for the current year.

Micron Technology Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 30th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This is a boost from Micron Technology's previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Micron Technology's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2.17%.

Key Stories Impacting Micron Technology

Here are the key news stories impacting Micron Technology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q2 results and bullish guidance — Micron reported record revenue ($23.86B) and a huge EPS beat, and management issued very strong forward guidance that highlights AI/HBM demand and tight supply as drivers of continued margin expansion. Micron: Buy The Latest Blowout
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike tied to surging free cash flow — Coverage highlights a meaningful dividend increase (article cites a large raise) reflecting FCF strength, which strengthens the shareholder‑return story and supports valuation upside. Micron Technology Hikes Its Dividend 30% Due to Surging FCF
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raising targets and reiterating buys — Multiple firms have lifted price targets and maintained buy ratings after the quarter, pushing model forecasts materially higher and supporting longer‑term upside. Micron Technology: Buy Rating Backed by Surging Profitability
• Neutral Sentiment: AI/data‑center runway remains the dominant macro theme — broader market pieces and sector analysis point to sustained AI infrastructure spending, which benefits Micron but also tightens expectations for future quarters. What to Expect From the Q1 Earnings Season: AI Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive growth narratives and buy‑the‑dip sentiment are lifting interest in MU, but these are market‑wide themes rather than company‑specific catalysts. Here is Why Growth Investors Should Buy Micron (MU) Now
• Negative Sentiment: “Sell‑the‑news” and profit‑taking after the beat — despite the blowout numbers, the stock has seen a sharp intraday pullback as traders lock in gains after a massive multi‑quarter run; high expectations pushed valuations and opened the door for a correction. Micron Drops 4% Despite Strong Earnings: Is This a Buying Opportunity?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and bearish commentary — a subset of analysts and commentators are pointing to warning signs (sustainability of pricing, cyclicality, execution risks) that could cap the rally if supply or end‑market demand shifts. The Troubling Signs Coming Into Focus For Micron Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated insider sales flagged by data aggregators — recent filings show significant insider selling activity, which some investors interpret as a near‑term negative signal despite firm fundamentals. Micron Technology Stock (MU) Opinions on Q2 Earnings Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on shares of Micron Technology from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Micron Technology from $345.00 to $525.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. HSBC upped their price target on Micron Technology from $350.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Micron Technology from $450.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Micron Technology from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $453.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Scott R. Allen sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $337.50, for a total transaction of $675,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 38,237 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,904,987.50. This represents a 4.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manish H. Bhatia sold 26,623 shares of Micron Technology stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $391.04, for a total value of $10,410,657.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 323,486 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,495,965.44. This represents a 7.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 23,200 shares of company stock valued at $7,821,723 and sold 53,623 shares valued at $21,832,908. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Micron Technology Company Profile

Micron Technology, Inc is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures memory and storage solutions. Its product portfolio includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs), memory modules and embedded memory solutions for a wide range of computing and electronic devices. Micron supplies components used in data centers, enterprise and cloud infrastructure, client computing, mobile devices, automotive systems and industrial applications, and also markets consumer-facing products under the Crucial brand.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Micron has grown into an international manufacturer with research, development and production facilities across multiple regions.

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