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Micron's Price War Is Totally Dead

By Anders Bylund – Updated Apr 5, 2017 at 11:01PM

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And its bottom line is back in black.

Last quarter, Micron Technology (NYSE:MU) signaled an end to the brutal price compression of memory chips. This week, the company proved once and for all that the recovery is real.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 (ended in early September) , Micron saw the average selling price for computer-standard DRAM memory chips rise 8% over the previous quarter. That was the first sequential price gain in, gosh ... years. The fourth quarter saw DRAM prices skyrocket by 21%, and it finally looks like the industrywide oversupply situation is over.

This is great news for memory makers like Micron, Samsung, and Toshiba, but not quite as brilliant for gadget designers like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and computer-system builders such as Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ). Higher component costs will cut into profit margins. Passing the costs on to the end user can make your products look expensive and unattractive. Of course, you expect to pay a premium for superb design, so Apple can certainly hide some of the memory cost. I'm curious how Dell and HP will juggle the issue, though.

All in all, Micron reported a net profit of $0.23 per share in the fourth quarter, on $1.7 billion of revenue. That's an enormous improvement from its $0.93 loss per share on sales of $1.4 billion a year ago. Of course, Micron's share price has quadrupled since hitting rock bottom in late 2008, so the good news is hardly a shock today. It's just a bit better than you might have expected.

Those shares are about to make another kind of move, too. After 19 years on the New York Stock Exchange, Micron is moving the MU ticker over to Nasdaq OMX Group's (NASDAQ:NDAQ) exchange at the end of December. Citing the presence of so many technology companies on the Nasdaq exchange, CEO Steve Appleton sees Micron's new home on Wall Street as "the best fit for the company and our shareholders."

The company joins Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX), and a handful of others as a major Nasdaq ticker that isn't a four-letter word. The two companies share more in common than a tickering anomaly, however. Seagate has also experienced a stunning share price climb from the depths of the Great Recession. As IT spending rebounds and consumer electronics show strong year-over-year improvements, makers of "commodity" computer components are finding themselves handsomely rewarded.

Does Micron's great quarter make a difference to your opinion of the company? Sign up for CAPS today and join more than 145,000 investors in seeking out today's best stocks.

Confused about the vagaries of stock exchanges? Want more info on why Micron might be moving? There's a story for that.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund holds no position in any of the companies discussed here. Apple is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick. Nasdaq OMX Group is a Motley Fool Inside Value pick. Dell is a former selection. Motley Fool Options recommended a position in Nasdaq OMX group. Try any of our Foolish newsletters today, free for 30 days. You can check out Anders' holdings and a concise bio if you like, and The Motley Fool is investors writing for investors.

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Stocks Mentioned

Micron Technology, Inc. Stock Quote
Micron Technology, Inc.
MU
$50.10 (0.89%) $0.44
HP Inc. Stock Quote
HP Inc.
HPQ
$25.35 (-1.40%) $0.36
Apple Inc. Stock Quote
Apple Inc.
AAPL
$150.43 (-1.51%) $-2.31
Seagate Technology plc Stock Quote
Seagate Technology plc
STX
Dell Technologies Inc. Stock Quote
Dell Technologies Inc.
DELL.DL
Nasdaq, Inc. Stock Quote
Nasdaq, Inc.
NDAQ
$56.93 (-0.82%) $0.47

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