SanDisk Corp. (SanDisk (SNDK)) shares took a breather Wednesday, falling about 4% in premarket trading after a 10.9% surge the day before. The pullback looks less like a change in sentiment and more like investors taking some chips off the table after a monster run.
Nasdaq futures were down 0.92% and S&P 500 futures slipped 0.34%, so it wasn't just SanDisk — the whole market was feeling a bit risk-off. When momentum stocks have had a run like SanDisk has, they tend to swing harder when the mood shifts.
And what a run it's been. SanDisk is up more than 857% year-to-date. Over the past month, it's gained 29%. Over the past year? Try 4,957%. That's not a typo.
Technical Picture Remains Bullish
Despite the premarket dip, the technicals still look strong. SanDisk is trading 8.1% above its 20-day simple moving average, 33.4% above its 50-day SMA, and a whopping 205.9% above its 200-day SMA. All those moving averages are pointing up, which supports the longer-term bullish trend — even if near-term volatility has picked up.
The MACD indicator is still above its signal line, and the histogram is positive. That means momentum, while maybe cooling a bit, is still constructive. The key support level to watch is around the 20-day SMA and 20-day exponential moving average. If the stock breaks below that zone, attention would shift to the 50-day moving averages. On the upside, the next major resistance is near $2,354.50, the stock's recent 52-week high.
Earnings And Analyst Outlook
SanDisk is expected to report quarterly results on August 13 (though that date could change). Wall Street is looking for earnings of $33.36 per share, compared to just 29 cents a year earlier. Revenue is expected to hit $8.24 billion, up from $1.90 billion in the same quarter last year. That's the kind of growth that justifies a premium valuation — and the stock does trade at about 77.7 times earnings.
Analysts are overwhelmingly bullish. The average price target is $1,730.75, but several firms have recently raised their targets well above that:
- Bernstein: Outperform, price target raised to $3,000 on June 30.
- Citigroup: Buy, target raised to $2,500 on June 25.
- Mizuho: Outperform, target raised to $2,200 on June 8.
Bernstein's $3,000 target is particularly notable — it suggests the stock could still have significant upside from current levels around $2,182.
Momentum vs. Value
According to market data, SanDisk carries a Momentum score of 99.97 — about as high as it gets. That reflects its incredible price trend. But its Value score is just 4.54, meaning the shares are expensive by traditional valuation metrics. That's the trade-off: you're paying up for growth and momentum, and that can lead to sharp pullbacks like today's.
The stock is also a significant holding in several ETFs, including the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), the Invesco S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (RPG), and the First Trust US Equity Opportunities ETF (FPX). Large fund flows into or out of those ETFs could move the stock.
SNDK Stock Price Activity: SanDisk shares were down 4.03% at $2,182.00 during premarket trading Wednesday.
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