Memory stocks seem to have broken off from their traditional cyclical behavior, supported by sustained growth in recent years. The artificial intelligence (AI) boom in data-intensive workloads has substantially increased demand for memory and storage solutions, supporting a durable growth cycle.

Scared by the post-pandemic downturn, memory producers remained disciplined on capacity expansion. As AI demand accelerated, a tight memory supply market has resulted in significant price increases and a more sustained growth trajectory.

Among the memory stocks, Micron Technology, Inc. MU and Sandisk Corporation SNDK have delivered exceptional returns over the past year, soaring 867.1% and 4852.3%, respectively. Let’s look in detail at why these memory plays have surged and examine why their strong momentum may continue, making them compelling investment opportunities ahead of the second half of the year.

Micron’s Record Quarter Signals Sustained AI-Driven Growth 

Micron stock recently touched a record intraday high, fueled by a blockbuster third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings. Revenues of $41.46 billion for the quarter were up 74% sequentially, according to investors.micron.com. The company has guided further revenue growth for the next quarter. Revenues are expected to come in around $50 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter, indicating robust demand for Micron’s high-bandwidth memory chips used in AI servers.

The company’s profitability has improved significantly, with gross margin increasing to 84.6% for the fiscal third quarter from 37.7% a year ago, aided by strong pricing power and growing demand for high-value AI memory products. Strong cash flows in the fiscal third quarter further suggest that the company’s elevated valuation is supported by improving fundamentals. Additionally, the company’s latest deal with Anthropic will strengthen the adoption of its memory solutions in next-generation AI infrastructure, enhancing long-term demand visibility and reinforcing its growth outlook.

As a result, the company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is a whopping 662.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $63.21 for MU’s earnings per share (EPS) is up 417.3% year over year (read more: Missed NVIDIA’s 900% Run? Micron Could Be AI’s Next Big Winner).

SNDK’s Solid Outlook Highlights Strength of AI Memory Cycle 

Sandisk’s shares are hovering near their recent intra-day highs as robust demand for the company’s AI-related memory solutions, combined with a supply crunch situation, is leading to strong pricing power and improved growth prospects.

For the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Sandisk reported revenues of $5.95 billion, up 97% sequentially and surpassing its own guidance, according to investor.sandisk.com. Sandisk further expects revenues of $7.75 billion to $8.25 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, reflecting continued strong momentum, driven by its focus on high-value customers in the expanding data center market.

The strategic multi-year, high-value New Business Model agreements are expected to strengthen Sandisk’s customer retention capability, improve revenue visibility and support a durable growth trajectory. The company reported non-GAAP EPS of $23.41 for the fiscal third quarter and expects it to increase to $30-$33 in the fiscal fourth quarter, signaling sustained sequential growth momentum.

Consequently, the company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is an exceptional 2096.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $65.68 for SNDK’s EPS is up 1072.9% year over year.

Both Micron and Sandisk sport 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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