Micron (MU) Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know

What Happened?

Shares of memory chips maker Micron (NYSE:MU) jumped 8.6% in the afternoon session after a broader market rally drove investor optimism in artificial intelligence and big tech stocks. 

The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq all pushed higher, approaching record levels set late last year. Much of the positive momentum was linked to the technology sector, with a particular focus on companies advancing artificial intelligence, a key theme at the annual CES trade show in Las Vegas. This continued a powerful trend from 2025, when AI-related developments were a primary catalyst for the market's bull run. The upbeat sentiment was further supported by hopes for easier monetary policy from the Federal Reserve following a weaker-than-expected US Services PMI reading.

Is now the time to buy Micron? Access our full analysis report here.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Micron’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 38 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 4 days ago when the stock gained 8.1% on the news that Bernstein SocGen Group raised its price target on the company to $330 from $270, citing strong demand for artificial intelligence applications. 

The research firm maintained its Outperform rating on the stock. This optimism was rooted in expectations that prices for DRAM, a type of computer memory, would continue to rise from the start of 2026. The primary driver for this was described as ballooning data center demand fueled by AI, while the expansion of memory supply remained constrained. Other reports echoed this sentiment, noting the market's focus on the insatiable demand for data center storage. This demand was also linked to the potential creation of a $100 billion high-bandwidth market by 2028, with AI-related stocks providing significant momentum in the market.

Micron is up 8.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $343.59 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Micron’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $4,456.

Do you want to know what moves the business you care about? Add them to your StockStory watchlist and every time a stock significantly moves, we provide you with a timely explanation straight to your inbox. It’s free for active Edge members and will only take you a second.