Tepper Shifts to AI Memory Stocks Amid Microsoft Sell-off
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 1 hour ago
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Portfolio Shift: Tepper sold 82% of his Microsoft stake in Q1, reallocating funds into Sandisk, a pivotal AI memory company that has surged 4,100% over the past year, reflecting Tepper's confidence in AI trends and market dynamics.
- Microsoft's Performance Pressure: Microsoft faced a 23% stock decline in Q1, primarily due to AI-related concerns and underwhelming performance of its digital assistant Copilot, leading investors to question the future competitiveness of its software business and impacting overall market sentiment.
- NAND Market Outlook: Sandisk holds a 13% share of the global NAND revenue market, with demand for NAND storage skyrocketing as AI models proliferate; supply constraints are expected to persist until 2027, providing robust support for Sandisk's growth prospects.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: Despite Sandisk's impressive performance, analysts advise investors to remain cautious given the cyclical nature of the memory industry and its dependence on the AI cycle, suggesting to keep it on the watchlist for potential pullbacks.
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Analyst Views on SNDK
Wall Street analysts forecast SNDK stock price to fall
14 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 1759.680
Low
220.00
Averages
283.69
High
410.00
Current: 1759.680
Low
220.00
Averages
283.69
High
410.00
About SNDK
SanDisk Corporation is a developer, manufacturer and provider of data storage devices and solutions based on NAND flash technology and has consumer brands and franchises globally. The Company's solutions include a range of solid state drives (SSDs) embedded products, removable cards, universal serial bus (USB) drives, and wafers and components. Its broad portfolio of technology and products addresses multiple end markets of Datacenter, Edge and Consumer. Its Datacenter end market is composed primarily of products for public or private cloud environments and enterprise customers. The Company, through the Edge end market, provides original equipment manufacturer and channel customers a broad array of high-performance flash solutions across personal computer, mobile, gaming, automotive, virtual reality headsets, at-home entertainment, and industrial spaces. The Company serves the Consumer end market with a broad range of retail and other end-user products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Surging Market Demand: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has led to skyrocketing demand for storage in data centers, benefiting Sandisk's solid-state drive (SSD) sales and significantly boosting its revenue and profits.
- Optimistic Earnings Forecast: By the end of fiscal year 2027, Sandisk's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to reach $177.84, and if it trades at a 20x earnings multiple, the stock price could exceed $3,500, indicating substantial future growth potential.
- Capacity Constraints: Sandisk has sold out its production capacity for 2026, with 2027's capacity also being rapidly acquired, providing the company with a multi-year growth outlook that could lead to soaring profits.
- Price Volatility Risks: Future performance will hinge on whether the supply bottleneck persists into 2028; if it does, Sandisk's stock could potentially double, but if supply increases and prices fall, the company's targets may be challenged.
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- Supply Shortage Impact: The surge in demand from the AI sector for data centers has led to a shortage of Sandisk's solid-state drives (SSDs), causing prices to soar and consequently boosting the company's revenue and profits.
- Optimistic Price Forecast: By the end of fiscal year 2027, Sandisk's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to reach $177.84, and if it trades at 20 times earnings, the stock price could exceed $3,500, indicating strong growth potential.
- Production Capacity Sold Out: Sandisk has sold out its production capacity for 2026, with demand for 2027 also rapidly increasing, providing the company with a multi-year growth outlook that could lead to significant profit increases.
- Market Competition Analysis: Despite Sandisk's impressive performance, the Motley Fool analyst team has not included it in their current list of top investment stocks, indicating a divergence in market sentiment regarding its future performance.
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- Microsoft Stake Reduction: Appaloosa sold 82% of its Microsoft shares in Q1, reflecting concerns over Microsoft's AI capabilities, particularly as its Copilot digital assistant failed to generate market enthusiasm, resulting in a 23% decline in Microsoft's stock during the quarter.
- AI Memory Stock Investment: David Tepper initiated a new position in Sandisk valued at nearly $179 million, representing 3% of Appaloosa's total portfolio, indicating his optimism about the growing demand for memory in the AI ecosystem, particularly the critical role of NAND storage.
- NAND Market Outlook: According to a report from market research firm Counterpoint, Sandisk held a 13% share of the global NAND revenue market, with total global NAND market revenue reaching $46 billion, doubling from the previous quarter, highlighting strong growth potential in storage demand.
- Increased Market Competition: As AI technology rapidly evolves, investors express concerns about intensified competition in the software sector, particularly regarding the potential threat to Microsoft's 365 office tools' market position, although Microsoft continues to show robust growth in cloud computing and AI investments.
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- Portfolio Shift: Tepper sold 82% of his Microsoft stake in Q1, reallocating funds into Sandisk, a pivotal AI memory company that has surged 4,100% over the past year, reflecting Tepper's confidence in AI trends and market dynamics.
- Microsoft's Performance Pressure: Microsoft faced a 23% stock decline in Q1, primarily due to AI-related concerns and underwhelming performance of its digital assistant Copilot, leading investors to question the future competitiveness of its software business and impacting overall market sentiment.
- NAND Market Outlook: Sandisk holds a 13% share of the global NAND revenue market, with demand for NAND storage skyrocketing as AI models proliferate; supply constraints are expected to persist until 2027, providing robust support for Sandisk's growth prospects.
- Cautious Investor Sentiment: Despite Sandisk's impressive performance, analysts advise investors to remain cautious given the cyclical nature of the memory industry and its dependence on the AI cycle, suggesting to keep it on the watchlist for potential pullbacks.
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- Nvidia's Market Position: Nvidia's market cap has reached $5 trillion, establishing itself as the largest company globally due to its GPUs' extensive use in AI, indicating a strong dominance in the AI accelerator market with a bright future ahead.
- Sandisk's Growth Momentum: Sandisk's stock has skyrocketed by 4,500% over the past year, with analysts projecting a 332% year-over-year growth next quarter, showcasing its robust performance amid soaring data center demand, making it a new favorite among investors.
- Profitability Comparison: While Sandisk trades at a P/E ratio of 60, significantly higher than Nvidia's 34, its strong growth potential complicates valuation, requiring investors to carefully assess the impact of market supply-demand shifts on its future.
- Product Pricing Advantage: Nvidia can maintain a premium on its products, continuing to create competitive advantages, whereas Sandisk faces greater pricing pressure on its products, making Nvidia a more attractive long-term investment.
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- Earnings Beat Expectations: Sandisk's Q3 report released on April 30 revealed adjusted earnings of $23.41 per share and sales of $5.95 billion, significantly surpassing analyst estimates of $14.66 and $4.7 billion, showcasing the company's robust performance in the memory technology sector.
- Significant Year-over-Year Growth: The company's sales soared 251% year-over-year, and with a very favorable demand environment, strong margins provided investor confidence, propelling the stock price up 54.6% in May, well above the S&P 500's 5.2% and Nasdaq's 8.4% gains.
- Market Reaction Volatility: Despite Sandisk's strong performance in May, the stock fell 8% in early June, primarily due to negative reactions to Broadcom's earnings report and employment data, intensifying market concerns over potential interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: As strong economic data raises expectations for Fed rate hikes, despite Sandisk's solid position in the memory market, the high-rate environment may pose challenges for its future performance.
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