- Micron Technology (MU) shares closed down nearly 6% at $681.54 on Monday, May 18, 2026, marking a two-day drop of roughly 13%.
- Analysts from Citi and HSBC significantly raised their price targets to $840 and $1,100 respectively on the same day, maintaining Buy ratings.
- The sell-off followed a 140% rally in 2026 and was attributed to profit-taking and a broader semiconductor slide triggered by U.S.-China chip trade tensions.
- CEO Sanjay Mehrotra stated the gap between demand and supply for DRAM, including HBM, is the highest the company has ever seen.
On Monday, May 18, 2026, Micron Technology’s stock price plunged nearly 6% to $681.54 despite simultaneous, significant price target upgrades from major financial institutions. This sharp decline, which extended a two-day slide to roughly 13%, created a stark contrast between bullish analyst sentiment and immediate market action. Consequently, investors were left questioning whether the drop signaled a genuine sentiment shift or was merely short-term noise after a massive run-up.
However, the analyst community painted a strongly optimistic picture. Citi raised its Micron stock price target to $840 from $425, citing rising DRAM prices and a tight supply cycle expected to last through 2027. HSBC separately raised its target to $1,100 from $750, a new Street high matched by Melius Research.
Meanwhile, the sell-off was fueled by broader sector weakness and profit-taking after a 140% rally in 2026. Reports that major Chinese tech firms could not get U.S. approval for NVIDIA H200 chip deals rattled the AI hardware space. Furthermore, a threatened strike at Samsung from May 21 could disrupt global memory production.
Analysts argue the fundamental story remains intact due to severe AI-driven memory shortages. Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra confirmed this during an earnings call, stating, “We are only able to meet about 50% to two-thirds of our demand from several key customers.” Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes noted feeling “incrementally good about memory and AI semiconductor companies.” The next major test for the stock will be the estimated June 2026 earnings report.
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