Micron's Blowout Earnings: The Best AI Stock for 2026?

As 2026 draws closer, investors are actively seeking stocks poised to benefit from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Micron Technology, Inc. MU stands out given its recent strong quarterly results. So, does the stock offer an attractive buying opportunity for the year ahead?

Let’s see in detail –  

Micron's Blowout Earnings Highlight AI-Driven Growth 

Micron recently reported strong fiscal first-quarter 2026 results, reassuring investors that demand for its products has strengthened significantly. Micron's revenues for the quarter came in at $13. 64 billion, up 56.8% from the same period a year ago, according to investors. micron.com. Wall Street analysts had expected Micron's sales to come in around $ 12.88 billion.  

On a year-over-year basis, all four of Micron's business segments posted revenue growth, led by its core cloud memory business unit, which reported sales of $5.28 billion, up a whopping 99.5%. This robust performance helped boost Micron's profitability, with non-GAAP net income reaching $5.48???billion, or $4.78 per diluted share, well above analysts’ expectations of $3.94. 

Soaring demand for Micron's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips has been a major driver of the company's stellar quarterly performance. HBM chips, which enable high-speed data processing and reduce power consumption, remain in short supply due to the AI infrastructure boom, which is why they are in high demand.  

Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron's CEO, said that “the growth in AI data center capacity is driving a significant increase in demand for high-performance and high-capacity memory and storage.” He noted that demand for server units has risen significantly and is expected to remain strong through 2026. 

Micron expects even stronger results in fiscal second-quarter 2026, with revenues projected between $18.3 billion and $19.1 billion, and diluted earnings per share (EPS) ranging from $8.22 to $8.62. The company already reported a record free cash flow of $3.9 billion in fiscal first-quarter 2026, providing ample funds to support future growth initiatives. 

Micron's Record Earnings Make It a Leading AI Stock for 2026 

Rising AI-driven demand for Micron's HBM chips has not only helped the company deliver a strong quarter but is also expected to drive the company's growth momentum further into 2026. This positions Micron as one of the most compelling AI stocks to buy for 2026.  

Lest we forget, Micron supplies HBM chips to NVIDIA Corporation NVDA as well as to its rival Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD, ensuring strong demand for its products even if NVIDIA's competitive edge weakens. Thus, Micron's expected earnings growth rate for the next year is 23.9%. The company's $19.85 Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS is up 80.9% year over year.

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Micron currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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