Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Micron vs. Marvell: Only One AI Semiconductor Stock Is a Buy This June

Read MoreHide Full Article

Key Takeaways

  • Micron expects fiscal Q3 2026 revenues of $33.5B and gross margin near 81%.
  • MRVL projects fiscal Q2 2027 revenues of $2.7B amid strong AI infrastructure demand.
  • MU trades at 17.83 forward earnings versus MRVL's significantly higher 75.74 multiple.

Two of the most prominent semiconductor stocks, Micron Technology (MU - Free Report) and Marvell Technology, Inc. (MRVL - Free Report) , have surged more than 300% over the past year, fueled by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. While Micron has recently joined the trillion-dollar market capitalization club, Marvell is positioning itself as a potential entrant. With both companies having a compelling growth story, the key question is which makes a better buy in June. 

Reasons to be Bullish on Micron 

Micron continues to see strong demand for its state-of-the-art high-bandwidth memory (“HBM”) chips as hyperscalers increase their investments in AI infrastructure. Higher demand for HBM chips amid tight supply conditions boosted Micron’s pricing power and helped the company surpass a $1 trillion market value. 

HBM chips are in demand because of their ability to handle complex workloads efficiently while consuming less power. Nonetheless, the constrained supply of HBM chips is anticipated to persist this year, and the resulting demand-supply imbalance is likely to support Micron’s long-term growth outlook. In addition, tight supply conditions for Micron’s NAND flash chips are expected to persist through mid-next year, further enhancing the potential for margin expansion. 

For the fiscal third quarter of 2026, Micron expects a strong gross margin of around 81%, indicating solid financial momentum, according to investors.micron.com. The Sanjay Mehrotra-led company also expects revenues of $33.5 billion in the fiscal third quarter of 2026, up from $23.86 billion in the fiscal second quarter of 2026, driven by growing demand for its primarily HBM chips. 

Reasons to be Bullish on Marvell 

Marvell’s shares soared more than 30% on Tuesday to $290.79, marking its largest single-day gain and pushing its market capitalization above $250 billion. But why? The rally was driven by recent comments from NVIDIA Corporation’s (NVDA - Free Report) CEO, Jensen Huang, who suggested that Marvell could become the “next trillion-dollar company”. After all, Marvell’s networking and connecting chips play a critical role in data centers, where computing workloads are distributed across thousands of interconnected chips that need to exchange data rapidly.  

Marvell’s products, anyhow, sit at the core of AI networking, and the company expects revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2027 to be $2.7 billion at the mid-point, up 35% year over year, according to investor.marvell.com. Marvell reported revenues of $2.418 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, surpassing expectations and signaling stronger-than-expected demand, particularly in AI-related infrastructure. 

Marvell has, in fact, raised its revenue guidance for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, reflecting strong long-term demand for its products from customers and improving its revenue visibility. What’s more, the company generated a record operating cash flow of $638.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, which can be deployed towards research and development, supporting continued revenue growth. 

Micron or Marvell: Which AI Chip Stock Should Investors Pick for June 

Surging demand for HBM and NAND chips amid tight supply conditions is bolstering Micron’s long-term growth and margins. Likewise, Marvell is gaining momentum, driven not only by bullish commentary but also by its central role in AI infrastructure, strong demand trends, improving guidance and robust cash generation.  

However, despite strong revenue growth, Marvell’s GAAP profits are very low, indicating that a significant chunk of earnings is being reduced by acquisition-related costs and other expenses. Marvell’s $34.5 million in GAAP profit for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 translates into a margin of just 1-2%, which is relatively weak for a semiconductor company of its size. 

Moreover, Marvell’s debt-to-equity ratio of 27.2% far exceeds Micron’s 13.2%, suggesting greater financial risk and increased susceptibility to economic downturns.

Zacks Investment Research
 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Taken together, these factors make Micron a better buy than Marvell as of now. Additionally, buying Micron’s shares is reasonably more affordable compared with its peers, giving investors a potential advantage. Per the price/earnings (P/E) ratio, MU trades at 17.83 forward earnings. In comparison, the Computer - Integrated Systems industry’s forward earnings multiple is 22.78.

Zacks Investment Research
 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

On the other hand, MRVL’s forward P/E ratio stands at 75.74 compared to 46.29 for the Electronics - Semiconductors industry.

Zacks Investment Research
 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Micron currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Marvel has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)

Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.

Click Here, It's Really Free

Published in