Core Insights - NetApp, Inc. (NTAP) is set to announce its second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on November 25, with expected non-GAAP earnings per share between $1.84 and $1.94, and a Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.89, indicating a 1.1% growth year-over-year [1][2] Financial Performance - Anticipated net sales for the quarter are projected to be between $1.615 billion and $1.765 billion, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69 billion, reflecting a 1.7% increase from the previous year [2] - NTAP has exceeded earnings estimates in three of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 1.68% [2] Demand and Growth Drivers - There is a rising demand for NetApp's modern all-flash arrays, particularly the C-series capacity flash and ASA block-optimized flash, which are expected to drive sustained performance [3] - The annualized revenue run rate for NetApp's all-flash array increased by 6% year-over-year to $3.6 billion in the fiscal first quarter, supported by strong customer engagement [4] - The Hybrid Cloud segment is estimated to generate revenues of $1.51 billion in the fiscal second quarter, marking a 1.1% increase from the prior year [4] AI and Cloud Solutions - Increased demand for cloud storage and AI solutions is promising, with over 125 AI and data lake modernization deals secured in the fiscal first quarter [5] - The Public Cloud segment's revenues rose by 1% to $161 million in the last reported quarter, with a projected growth of 6.4% year-over-year to $178.7 million in the fiscal second quarter [6] Market Conditions - The global macroeconomic environment remains uncertain, with inflation pressures and elevated volatility potentially impacting fiscal second-quarter results [7] Earnings Prediction Model - Current models do not predict an earnings beat for NTAP, with an Earnings ESP of -0.12% and a Zacks Rank of 4 [8]

Core Insights - Western Digital Corporation (WDC) has entered fiscal 2026 with strong momentum, driven by robust demand from cloud and AI workloads, reporting revenues of $2.82 billion for the first quarter, a 27% increase year over year [1] - The company anticipates ongoing revenue growth in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, projecting non-GAAP revenues of $2.9 billion, a 20% year-over-year increase [5] Financial Performance - For the first quarter of fiscal 2026, WDC reported non-GAAP EPS of $1.78 and a gross margin of 43.9%, both exceeding guidance [1] - The cloud end market, which constitutes 89% of total revenues, saw a 31% increase, driven by demand for higher-capacity nearline products [1] - WDC shipped 204 exabytes of storage, a 23% year-over-year increase, with significant demand for its latest ePMR products [3] Market Trends and Opportunities - The proliferation of generative AI is expected to drive a refresh cycle in client and consumer devices, boosting content growth across various sectors including smartphones and gaming [2] - Increased AI adoption is likely to enhance storage demand for both HDD and Flash technologies, presenting ample business opportunities [2] - WDC's next-generation HAMR drives are set to capitalize on this trend, with all top seven customers placing purchase orders through the first half of 2026 [4] Competitive Landscape - WDC faces competition from companies such as Seagate Technology, Hitachi, Samsung, and Intel, which are also benefiting from strong cloud demand and AI-driven applications [6][7] - Seagate has ramped up shipments of its Mozaic HAMR products, projecting second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues of $2.7 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase [8] Valuation and Market Performance - Over the past three months, WDC shares have surged 106.2%, outperforming the Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry, which grew by 43.3% [11] - WDC's shares are currently trading at a forward price/earnings ratio of 22.47X, higher than the industry's 21.12X [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WDC's earnings for fiscal 2026 has been revised up by 13.5% to $7.38 over the past 60 days [13]

Industry Overview - The data-storage sector is experiencing significant growth driven by cloud migration, AI/ML workloads, and edge devices, with a projected CAGR of 17.2%, reaching $774 billion by 2032 from $255.3 billion in 2025 [2][3] - The cloud storage segment is expected to dominate the market due to its scalability and cost-effectiveness, while the healthcare sector is anticipated to have the highest CAGR due to increasing unstructured data [2] Company Analysis: Western Digital Corporation (WDC) - WDC is a key player in the global data infrastructure, focusing on hardware storage solutions like HDDs and SSDs, and is committed to technological improvements to enhance product density, speed, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness [4][5] - The company is leveraging AI technology to drive growth, with a new 25,600-square-foot System Integration and Test Lab to accelerate product development and testing [5] - WDC expects non-GAAP revenues of $2.7 billion for the fiscal first quarter, reflecting a 22% year-over-year increase, and anticipates gross margins of 41-42% [6][8] - The company has reduced its debt by $2.6 billion, achieving a net leverage target of 1–1.5x, and is focused on enhancing shareholder value through dividends and buybacks [10][8] Company Analysis: NetApp Inc. (NTAP) - NTAP is positioned to drive growth in data infrastructure, focusing on AI and cloud solutions, with strong demand for its all-flash portfolio and modern data infrastructure [11][16] - The company reported an 80% revenue increase in its Keystone storage-as-a-service, and its Public Cloud segment is benefiting from healthy traction in hyperscaler services [18][19] - NTAP returned $404 million to shareholders in the fiscal first quarter and $1.57 billion for the fiscal year through dividends and share repurchases [19] - Despite challenges from macroeconomic uncertainty and cautious IT spending, NTAP is experiencing strong demand for its AI and data lake solutions [20][12] Performance Comparison - Over the past year, WDC's stock has increased by 116.5%, while NTAP's stock has declined by 1% [23] - In terms of valuation, NTAP trades at a forward price/sales ratio of 3.3, lower than WDC's 4.21 [24] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WDC's earnings for fiscal 2026 has been revised up by 2.6% to $6.67, while NTAP's estimate has increased by 0.26% to $7.77 [27][29] Investment Outlook - Both WDC and NTAP are well-positioned to capitalize on the emerging data storage industry, with WDC currently rated as a Strong Buy and NTAP as a Hold according to Zacks Rank [30]

Core Insights - Western Digital Corporation (WDC) has launched an expanded System Integration and Test (SIT) Lab, a 25,600-square-foot facility aimed at accelerating product qualification and enhancing customer collaboration [1][11]. Company Developments - The new SIT Lab is designed to address the increasing demand for faster, reliable, and scalable storage solutions, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud workloads [2][3]. - WDC's investment in the SIT Lab reflects its commitment to customer-first priorities, with engineers collaborating with key customers throughout the product lifecycle to ensure that high-capacity HDDs and next-generation data storage systems meet evolving needs [3][5]. - The facility in Rochester integrates with WDC's global network, supporting over 2,000 customer systems across the U.S. and Asia, which is expected to enhance cross-regional collaboration and localized customer support [4][11]. Market Position and Competitive Landscape - The demand for mass-capacity storage is increasing, driven by cloud investment cycles and the expansion of AI-ready data center infrastructure, positioning WDC favorably against competitors like Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX) [6]. - Seagate is ramping up production of its Mozaic 3+ platform, with significant developments expected in the coming years, indicating a competitive landscape in the storage sector [6][7]. - NetApp is also experiencing growth in demand for its all-flash arrays, with a notable annualized net revenue run rate of $3.6 billion, reflecting a 6% year-over-year increase [8][9]. Financial Performance - WDC's shares have increased by 9.7% over the past month, slightly underperforming the Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry's rise of 10.1% [12]. - The forward price/earnings ratio for WDC is currently at 16.06X, which is lower than the industry's average of 22.39X, indicating potential value [14]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WDC's earnings for fiscal 2026 has been revised up by 1.85% to $6.62 over the past 60 days, reflecting positive sentiment [15].

Core Insights - NetApp Inc's (NTAP) shares have increased by 45.5% over the past six months, lagging behind the Computer Storage Devices Industry's growth of 109.2% [1] - The Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 composite have risen by 45.8% and 27.5%, respectively, during the same period [1] - NTAP's stock closed at $120.31, below its 52-week high of $135.45, raising questions about potential buying opportunities [1] Price Performance - NTAP's share performance is significantly lower than the industry average, indicating potential underperformance [1] Demand and Growth Drivers - There is increasing demand for NetApp's cloud storage and AI solutions, with over 125 AI and data lake modernization deals won in the fiscal first quarter [5] - The company has expanded its AI ecosystem and launched the AIPod Mini with Intel, addressing cost and complexity challenges in AI implementation [5] - NetApp's all-flash array business has an annualized net revenue run rate of $3.6 billion, reflecting a 6% year-over-year increase [6] - Keystone storage-as-a-service revenues grew by 80% year over year, contributing to an 18% increase in Professional Services revenues to $97 million [7] - Public Cloud revenues from first-party and marketplace storage services grew by 33% in the fiscal first quarter [8] Financial Position - NetApp's cash, cash equivalents, and investments totaled $3.32 billion, with long-term debt at $2.485 billion as of July 25, 2025 [10] - The company generated net cash from operations of $673 million and free cash flow of $620 million, indicating a strong cash position [10] - NTAP returned $404 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases in the fiscal first quarter [11] Market Challenges - Management anticipates spending caution due to an uncertain global macroeconomic outlook, with fiscal first-quarter revenues increasing only 1% year over year [12] - The forecast for fiscal 2026 revenues is between $6.625 billion and $6.875 billion, with potential deferrals in storage cycles and infrastructure refreshes if macro conditions worsen [12] - Intense competition in the flash and cloud markets poses additional challenges [12] Valuation - NetApp's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is 14.72X, which is below the industry average of 23.16X [13] Analyst Sentiment - Analysts have slightly revised earnings estimates upward for the current year, indicating a positive outlook [14] Conclusion - NetApp's strong flash portfolio, growing Keystone adoption, and partnerships with major hyperscalers are key long-term growth drivers [16] - The company's solid balance sheet and consistent shareholder returns further strengthen its investment case [16]

Core Insights - The Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry faces challenges from escalating trade tensions, macroeconomic turbulence, and intense competition, but benefits from trends like digital transformation, edge computing, and AI workload proliferation [1][2][6] Industry Overview - The industry includes companies that design, develop, manufacture, and market HDDs and SSDs for various devices, with some offering software-defined all-flash solutions and high-performance memory subsystems [3] Trends Influencing Growth - AI is driving demand for high-speed, high-capacity storage solutions, necessitating a shift towards NVMe-based SSDs and object storage for unstructured data [4] - Cloud storage technologies are evolving, with a focus on virtualization and edge computing to manage increasing data complexity and scale [5] Macro Conditions - Trade tensions and inflation are significant concerns, potentially affecting global IT spending, which is projected to reach $5.43 trillion in 2025, a 7.9% increase from 2024 [6] - PC shipments increased by 4.4% year-over-year in Q2 2025, but are expected to plateau in the latter half of the year due to vendor inventory adjustments [7][8] Industry Performance - The Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry has outperformed the S&P 500 with a 22.7% increase over the past year, compared to the S&P 500's 17.8% gain, but lags behind the broader sector's 28.3% growth [11] Valuation Metrics - The industry is currently trading at a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 21.15X, below the S&P 500's 23.32X and the sector's 28.93X [14] Company Highlights - **Netlist (NLST)**: Experienced a 44% sequential revenue increase to $41.7 million, driven by DDR5 demand, and is pursuing legal actions against Samsung and Micron for patent infringements [20][21] - **Pure Storage (PSTG)**: Expanded its Flash portfolio and reported strong demand for its products, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and a 71.6% stock gain over the past year [25][27] - **NetApp (NTAP)**: Benefiting from demand for all-flash arrays and cloud storage solutions, with Keystone storage-as-a-service revenues growing 80% year-over-year [32][33]

Financial Performance - NetApp achieved Q1 FY26 revenue of $1.56 billion, a 1.2% year-over-year increase[44] - Billings for Q1 FY26 reached $1.51 billion, representing a 4.3% year-over-year growth[44] - The company's Q1 FY26 Non-GAAP gross margin was 71.1%, a decrease of 110 bps year-over-year[44] - Non-GAAP earnings per share for Q1 FY26 were $1.55, a 0.6% decrease year-over-year[44] - NetApp's Q1 FY26 free cash flow was $620 million, resulting in a free cash flow margin of 39.8%[43, 44] Segment Performance - Public Cloud Services gross margin long-term target range raised to 80%-85%[43] - Public Cloud Segment Net Revenues is $161 million[84] - Hybrid Cloud Segment Net Revenues is $1.398 billion[84] Future Outlook - NetApp reaffirmed its FY26 revenue guidance of $6.625 billion to $6.875 billion[82] - The company projects a Non-GAAP gross margin of 71% to 72% and a Non-GAAP operating margin of 28.8% to 29.8% for FY26[82]