Wall Street's Week Ahead: Facebook, Micron, Netflix Worth Watching

Last week was packed with announcements from several major companies. Facebook Inc FB CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, spoke on the global stage while Netflix, Inc. NFLX continued its efforts towards global expansion. Investors also have an earnings report from Micron Technology, Inc. MU to look toward to. How will these companies' announcements impact their share prices this week?

Facebook Inc

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook FB, made headlines over the weekend when he urged the U.N. to make universal Internet access a global priority. Zuckerberg claims Internet access is the key to lifting communities out of poverty, and announced Facebook will be working with the U.N. to bring Internet access to refugee camps.

Zuckerberg recently rebranded his initiative to connect the world through Internet.org as Free Basics. Through rebranding the service, Zuckerberg aims to highlight the fact that it provides free basic services and makes it easier for developers to use the platform. The service brings health, parenting, and other important information to poor and rural areas of the country.

However, the benevolent project has come under fire for focusing Internet access towards Facebook and blocking several search engines and websites. These allegations caused Facebook shares to drop slightly on Friday.

Facebook is one of the most popular stocks among analysts. According to the 39 analysts polled by TipRanks in the last three months, 37 are bullish on the social media website while two are neutral. The average 12-month price target is $112.86, marking a 21% potential upside from where shares last closed.

Micron

Semiconductor leader Micron Technology, Inc. MU will announce fourth quarter fiscal 2015 earnings after market close on Thursday, October 1. The semiconductor company has taken a beating this year as shares have fallen more than 50% in the last twelve months. Like the rest of the semiconductor sector, Micron is struggling to regain footing after the fall of the PC took a toll on DRAM supply and demand.

This was seen in the last quarter when Micron posted an 8% year-over-year decrease in third quarter revenue, mostly attributed to a 10% decline in DRAM selling prices and flat DRAM sales. Analysts are unsure of when DRAM demand will return to consistent levels, but some are beginning to come around and see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Over the summer, Micron came to center stage as Tsinghua Unigroup, a Chinese state-owned semiconductor company, made a bid to purchase Micron for $23 billion. At the time, the deal valued Micron shares at $21 when they were trading for just shy of $15. Micron rejected the deal, but not before Tsinghua Unigroup made a second offer.

According to the 25 analysts polled by TipRanks in the last three months, 19 are bullish on Micron and six are staying on the sidelines. The average 12-month price target for the stock is $24.98, marking a 67% potential upside from where shares last closed.

Netflix, Inc.

Online streaming company Netflix NFLX expanded into Japan recently, but many are unimpressed with its soft entrance. Although all users get a one month free trial to test the waters, many are finding that the online streaming service's offerings are similar to Hulu. Netflix is turning its focus towards local programming in Japan and an extensive selection of documentary offerings.

Netflix's ambitions to expand do not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The service is available in 80 countries already and the company is working to expand into significant markets such as China, Spain, and Italy, among others. This rapid expansion has become apparent as the company's shares have soared. In the last 12 months, shares of Netflix have increased approximately 60%, hitting an all-time high last month of $129.

Netflix has been rated by 28 analysts on TipRanks in the last three months. Of these analysts, 20 are bullish on the online streaming company, 6 are staying on the sidelines, and 2 are bearish. The average 12-month price target is $122.47, marking a 20% potential upside from where the stock last closed.