Seagate Is Sold Out Through 2026, CEO Says

Core Viewpoint - Seagate Technology Holdings PLC experienced a significant stock increase following strong quarterly results and raised guidance, leading to two firms raising their price forecasts to $500 [1] Group 1: Analyst Price Forecasts - Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C.J. Muse raised the price forecast to $500 from $400, maintaining an Overweight rating, citing gross margins of approximately 70% during the December quarter and a gross margin guide of at least 44% [2] - Rosenblatt Securities analyst Kevin Cassidy also raised the price forecast to $500 from $370, maintaining a Buy rating, and increased the valuation multiple to 25 times from 20 times non-GAAP EPS, highlighting expanding gross margins above 45% and operating margins above 35% [4] Group 2: Earnings Performance - Seagate reported quarterly earnings of $3.11 per share, surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $2.81, with quarterly revenue reaching $2.83 billion, exceeding the Street estimate of $2.73 billion and up from $2.33 billion in the same period last year [5][6] - The CEO of Seagate noted that the December quarter results set new records for gross margin, operating margin, and non-GAAP EPS, reflecting strong operational execution and robust data center demand [6] Group 3: Future Outlook - The company indicated that its nearline storage capacity is fully booked through calendar 2026, with orders for the first half of 2027 expected to open soon, and long-term agreements with major cloud customers provide strong demand visibility through 2027 [7] - Seagate expects third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.20 to $3.60, compared to the $2.96 analyst estimate, and revenue of $2.8 billion to $3 billion, versus the $2.77 billion analyst estimate [8]