Memory chips maker Micron (NYSE:MU) fell short of analyst expectations in Q1 FY2023 quarter, with revenue down 46.8% year on year to $4.08 billion. Micron Technology made a GAAP loss of $195 million, down on its profit of $2.3 billion, in the same quarter last year.
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Micron Technology (MU) Q1 FY2023 Highlights:
- Revenue: $4.08 billion vs analyst estimates of $4.17 billion (2.22% miss)
- EPS (non-GAAP): -$0.04 vs analyst estimates of -$0.02 ($0.02 miss)
- Revenue guidance for Q2 2023 is $3.8 billion at the midpoint, below analyst estimates of $3.97 billion
- Free cash flow was negative $1.52 billion, down from positive free cash flow of $196 million in previous quarter
- Inventory Days Outstanding: 238, up from 151 previous quarter
- Gross Margin (GAAP): 21.8%, down from 46.3% same quarter last year
“Micron delivered fiscal first quarter revenue and EPS within guidance ranges despite challenging conditions during the quarter,” said Micron Technology President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra
Founded in the basement of a Boise, Idaho dental office in 1978, Micron (NYSE:MU) is a leading provider of memory chips used in thousands of devices across mobile, data centers, industrial, consumer, and automotive markets.
The rapid growth in data generation and the need to support increases in processing power for everything from consumer devices to data center servers are driving the demand for memory chips. From the content delivery networks and edge computing to the cloud, data storage is a key component underpinning the global technology architecture. On top of that, secular growth drivers like machine learning and the boom in media-rich digital content are further accelerating the need for storage. Like all semiconductor segments, memory makers are highly cyclical, driven by supply and demand imbalances and exposure to consumer product cycles.
Sales Growth
Micron Technology's revenue growth over the last three years has been unremarkable, averaging 11.9% annually. Last year the quarterly revenue declined from $7.68 billion to $4.08 billion. Semiconductors are a cyclical industry and long-term investors should be prepared for periods of high growth, followed by periods of revenue contractions (which can sometimes offer opportune times to buy).
This was a difficult quarter for Micron Technology, with revenue declining 46.8%, missing analyst estimates by 2.22%.
Micron Technology's revenue growth has decelerated for the last three quarters and the company expects growth to turn negative next quarter guiding to a 51.1% year on year decline, while analysts are estimating a NTM revenue decline of 16.6%.
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Product Demand & Outstanding Inventory
Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) are an important metric for chipmakers, as it reflects the capital intensity of the business and the cyclical nature of semiconductor supply and demand. In a tight supply environment, inventories tend to be stable, allowing chipmakers to exert pricing power. Steadily increasing DIO can be a warning sign that demand is weak, and if inventories continue to rise the company may have to downsize production.
This quarter, Micron Technology’s inventory days came in at 238, 115 days above the five year average, suggesting that that inventory has grown to higher levels than what we used to see in the past.
Key Takeaways from Micron Technology's Q1 Results
With a market capitalization of $59.8 billion, more than $10.5 billion in cash and with free cash flow over the last twelve months being positive, the company is in a very strong position to invest in growth.
We struggled to find many strong positives in these results. On the other hand, it was less good to see that the revenue growth was quite weak and the revenue guidance for the next quarter missed analysts' expectations. Overall, it seems to us that this was a complicated quarter for Micron Technology. The company is flat on the results and currently trades at $51.24 per share.
Micron Technology may have had a tough quarter, but does that actually create an opportunity to invest right now? It is important that you take into account its valuation and business qualities, as well as what happened in the latest quarter. We look at that in our actionable report which you can read here, it's free.
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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.