Micron Leads Zacks AI Picks: SanDisk, Blue Owl, Moody's, Applied

Zacks Investment Research (investment research firm Zacks) highlighted Micron on April 15, 2026 as a stock positioned to benefit from a renewed momentum in AI-related equities. The bulletin also called out SanDisk, Blue Owl Capital, Moody's and Applied Optoelectronics, arguing that several uncertainty factors that capped AI stock performance have recently diminished.

The note identifies three main headwinds that have eased. First, geopolitical risk tied to developments in the Middle East has shown signs of waning: despite a ~3% rise in crude oil on Monday, the Nasdaq still closed up more than 1%, signaling buyer interest returning to risk-on assets. Second, energy and memory constraints that had slowed data-center expansion are being addressed—hyperscalers increasingly deploy behind-the-meter power solutions while memory vendors ramp production to meet surging demand for high-bandwidth memory and NAND. Third, credit concerns resurfaced after Moody's downgraded Blue Owl Capital's credit outlook from stable to negative, but Zacks noted that overall default rates remain manageable.

Market reactions to the changing backdrop were pronounced. Zacks cited that Applied Optoelectronics rallied roughly 65% over the past month and SanDisk climbed about 38% in the same period. The release referenced Bloom Energy's expanded partnership with Oracle to support up to 2.8 GW of fuel-cell deployments for cloud infrastructure, which pushed BE shares more than 10% higher in after-hours trading. Fastly was also used as an example: CEO Kip Compton's Agentic AI commentary precipitated a 72% advance followed by a roughly 30% pullback, illustrating the volatility tied to AI narratives.

Taken together, these developments frame a broader industry reset: the AI buildout requires both reliable power and scaled memory capacity, and providers across the chain are actively adjusting. Hyperscalers shifting to on-site generation and memory manufacturers expanding output should, in Zacks' view, help relieve near-term bottlenecks and support further investment in AI infrastructure.

On balance, Zacks and market analysts urge caution. Many AI-related names have already run hard and may be extended, so indiscriminate buying risks chasing frothy moves. The recommendation is to focus on companies with clear near-term catalysts, improving fundamentals and manageable credit exposure, while monitoring capacity additions, contract wins and evolving macro and geopolitical signals before committing capital.