Investing

Is Super Micro Now Really a Tactical Sell?

Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) has come a long way from its fiasco in 2024. After having been the next greatest growth story behind NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), it fell from over $100 to under $20 in 2024 — and then it recovered to above $60 by February (2025). But despite the recovery, and despite being up 35% so far in 2025 as the second-best S&P 500 stock so far this year, Goldman Sachs has told its clients to sell this stock with roughly 25% downside ahead.
Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng downgraded Super Micro to Sell from Neutral on Monday, and the analyst also downgraded his price target to $32 from $40. The main issue for the downgrade is an unfavorable risk/reward scenario. Ng cited valuations, concerns over gross margin and a rising competition from similar and lower-cost providers of artificial intelligence servers.
One specific issue cited is “less product differentiation” as competitors have invested heavily into the large market opportunity that AI servers represent. All of this increased competition is expected to lead to lead to lower gross margins.
Tactical Bulls would point out that Goldman Sachs is not just any brokerage firm. It specializes in catering solely to institutional clients and high net worth clients. Then again, there needs to always be a reminder that no single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for investors to buy or sell a stock.
Goldman Sachs is also not the only firm issuing fresh analyst calls on Super Micro. Just a week earlier an analyst upgrade was seen as JPMorgan had raised its rating to Neutral from Underweight with a $45 price target. And less than two weeks earlier, Rosenblatt had started coverage with a Buy rating and a much stronger $60 price target.
It is often more useful to evaluate analyst calls a day after the calls are made to avoid the emotion of the immediate reactions. Despite Monday’s major downgrade, the strong rally in tech stocks and economically sensitive stocks kept Super Micro’s stock from cratering. It closed down just 1.02% at $41.72 on the day. And SMCI shares were holding flat on Tuesday in early pre-market indications.
Tactical Bulls maintains no formal rating nor any formal price target of its own in shares of Super Micro Computer. And, again, no single analyst report should ever be used by investors as the sole reason to buy or sell a stock.