What's Going On With Micron Technology Stock Thursday?

Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) stock is trading nearly 2% higher Thursday in premarket trading as risk appetite improves alongside U.S. stock futures. Nasdaq futures are up 1.05%, while S&P 500 futures have gained 0.82%.Micron is also coming off a powerful longer-term rally. As a result, shifts in market sentiment can produce larger moves in the stock. With no major company-specific catalyst driving Thursday’s move, technical levels could take on greater importance.Micron Deepens India BetSeparately, Micron plans to sharply expand semiconductor assembly and testing in India next year as artificial intelligence drives demand for memory chips, Business Standard reported Thursday.CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said Micron will assemble and test “hundreds of billions” of chips at its Sanand, Gujarat, facility next year, up from tens of millions this year.Micron began commercial production at Sanand earlier this year and is now shipping DRAM and NAND products worldwide. Mehrotra said the facility’s current capacity already exceeds the memory needed for India’s entire laptop market.Micron employs more than 7,000 people directly in India. Its teams in Bangalore and Hyderabad have also contributed to more than 3,700 patents, inventions and disclosures.Mehrotra said rising AI adoption is fueling demand for faster, denser and more power-efficient memory and storage.“The world is going to need memory that is faster, denser, and far more efficient at power. And Micron builds that memory,” he said.Technical AnalysisMicron’s longer-term trend remains bullish. The stock is 48.8% above its 200-day simple moving average of $632.56.The technical setup also remains constructive. The 50-day SMA is above the 200-day SMA, while the 20-day SMA remains above the 50-day SMA.However, the near-term picture is more mixed. Micron is 1.5% below its 20-day SMA of $955.51 but 1.7% above its 50-day SMA of $926.20. That setup points to consolidation after a strong advance.The relative strength index stands at 46.88. That indicates neutral near-term momentum and suggests neither buyers nor sellers have firm control.Micron faces resistance near $1,012. A move above that level could strengthen bullish momentum. Meanwhile, support sits near $887.50. A break below that area could weaken the intermediate trend. See More: Top Value Stocks Earnings In FocusMicron is scheduled to report earnings Sept. 30.Analysts expect earnings of $31.30 per share, compared with $3.03 a year earlier. Revenue is projected at $50.78 billion, up from $11.31 billion.The stock trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of about 20.9.Micron carries a Buy consensus rating with an average price forecast of $1,521.74.Mizuho maintained an Outperform rating on Aug. 25 but lowered its price forecast to $1,300. New Street Research upgraded Micron to Buy on Aug. 14 with a $1,250 forecast. Citigroup maintained its Buy rating on Aug. 7 while cutting its forecast to $1,150.Benzinga Edge RankingsMicron scores strongly on Benzinga Edge, with Momentum at 99.36, Quality at 96.4 and Growth at 93.79. Its Value score is considerably lower at 30.57.The readings reflect strong momentum and growth characteristics. However, the lower Value score suggests investors have already priced in significant expectations.ETF ExposureMicron has significant exposure through major semiconductor ETFs. It accounts for 8.90% of the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX), 8.86% of the Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXQ) and 8.87% of the State Street SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (NYSE:XNTK).That exposure means large ETF inflows or outflows can create additional buying or selling pressure in Micron shares.Price ActionMicron shares rose 1.67% to $942.06 in Thursday premarket trading, according to Benzinga Pro data.Image via Shutterstock Read Also: Arm CEO Says Demand Has ‘Never Been Stronger’