Micron Technology in Overbought Territory Heading in to Earnings
In addition to writing for Tickeron, I also write independently at Seeking Alpha (SA). In June 2018, I made a concerted effort to increase my article submissions at SA and one of the first articles I wrote back then was an earnings preview on Micron Technology (MU). In that article I urged readers to take a cautious stance on the stock due to how bullish investors appeared to be at the time. I liked the fundamentals on the stock, but the stock had rallied sharply and the sentiment indicators were concerning.
Two and a half years ago, earnings and sales growth were the highlights of the fundamental picture. The return on equity and profit margin were also really good. Again, the fundamental picture wasn’t the problem. We see on the chart below that the stock had doubled in less than a year. The blue arrow shows when my article was published. You can see how the 10-week RSI and the weekly stochastic indicators were right at the edge of overbought territory. Look where they are now—they’re even higher and they just made a turn lower.
As I mentioned earlier, the sentiment indicators were also a problem. There were 30 analysts covering the stock back then and 27 of the 30 had the stock rated as a “buy”. The other three had the stock rated as a “hold”. Now there are 35 analysts covering the stock with 28 “buy” ratings, five “hold” ratings, and two “sell” ratings. This means the buy percentage fell from 90% to 80%. The buy percentage is still higher than the average stock, but has come down some.
The short interest ratio was low at 1.14 in June ’18 and it’s at 1.92 currently. The indicator is still more bullish than the average stock, but like the analysts ratings, it’s not as bullish as it used to be.
Another factor in why I was urging investors to be cautious was a big jump in the earnings estimates ahead of the report. In the 30 days leading up to the report, the consensus EPS estimate jumped from $2.85 to $3.12. The company itself had issued statements, adjusting its guidance and analysts adjusted too. Looking at today’s consensus EPS estimate, it’s at $0.71 and it was at $0.47 just 30 days ago.
The situation is starting to look very similar to what we saw in 2018. The stock has more than doubled in the last eight months and it’s in overbought territory. The sentiment indicators suggest that the stock is getting a lot of love from analysts and short sellers, and the consensus estimate has jumped significantly in the last 30 days. However, the fundamentals aren’t as good as they used to be.
The earnings and sales growth are still decent, but they aren’t nearly as good as they were two and a half years ago. The ROE is below average now and the profit margin is in the average range.
The changes in the fundamentals and the overbought status helps explain why Tickeron’s scorecard has Micron Technology rated as a “sell” right now.
MU in upward trend: price may jump up because it broke its lower Bollinger Band on December 19, 2024
MU may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options. In of 36 cases where MU's price broke its lower Bollinger Band, its price rose further in the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 2 days, which means it's wise to expect a price bounce in the near future.
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where MU advanced for three days, in of 318 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on December 19, 2024. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on MU as a result. In of 96 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for MU turned negative on December 19, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 46 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 46 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
MU moved below its 50-day moving average on December 18, 2024 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
The 10-day moving average for MU crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on November 21, 2024. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In of 14 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where MU declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (2.126) is normal, around the industry mean (11.467). P/E Ratio (25.582) is within average values for comparable stocks, (57.657). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.227) is also within normal values, averaging (3.177). Dividend Yield (0.005) settles around the average of (0.021) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (3.447) is also within normal values, averaging (54.092).
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 67, placing this stock slightly better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. MU’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating weak sales and an unprofitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
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General Information
a manufacturer of advanced semiconductor solutions such as DRAMs, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components and memory modules
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