As widely expected, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged yesterday. The Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to keep the federal funds rate in a range of 3.50%-3.75%. Governors Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran dissented in favor of a quarter-point cut. In a post-meeting statement, officials said “job gains have remained low, and the unemployment rate has shown some signs of stabilization.” Policymakers also removed language referring to heightened downside risks to employment that had a ...

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC (NYSE:STX) stock jumped Wednesday following strong quarterly results and raised guidance, prompting two firms to lift their price forecast to $500.Analysts Lift Price ForecastsCantor Fitzgerald analyst C.J. Muse raised the price forecast to $500 from $400 following the results, maintaining an Overweight rating. The firm cited incremental gross margins of ~70% during the December quarter and an implied gross margin guide of at least 44%.The analyst highlighted that like-for-li ...

Seagate Technology (STX) is trading at new all-time highs on Tuesday. Shares are up more than 230% over the past 52 weeks. STX maintains a 100% “Buy” technical opinion from Barchart. Seagate has benefitted massively from AI-driven demand for memory and storage products. Today’s Featured Stock Valued at $76.5 billion, Seagate Technology (STX) is one of the largest manufacturers of hard disk drives in the U.S. These drives are responsible for storing information, including at data centers. Seagate ...

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC Earnings Preview: A Look into the FutureSeagate Technology Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:STX) is a leading figure in the data storage industry, renowned for its hard disk drives and storage solutions. As the company gears up to unveil its quarterly earnings on January 27, 2026, after the market closes, Wall Street analysts have set the earnings per share (EPS) expectation at $2.78 and anticipate revenue to be around $2.73 billion. This announcement is eagerly awaited, considering the ...

January 22, 2026 05:01 AM GMT Hard Disk Drives | North America F2Q26 Earnings Preview — Estimates Still Biased Upwards | What's Changed | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Seagate Technology (STX.O) | From | To | | Price Target | $337.00 | $372.00 | | Western Digital (WDC.O) | | | | Price Target | $228.00 | $260.00 | | We see modest revenue upside and pronounced strength in | | | | margins to drive positive EPS revisions this quarter, keeping | | | | momentum behind STX/WDC. Despite cont'd est revisions to | | | | ...

Core Insights - Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bearish approach towards Seagate Technology Holdings, indicating potential significant market movements ahead [1] - The options activity shows a divided sentiment among investors, with 34% bullish and 48% bearish, highlighting a notable level of trading activity [2] Options Activity - A total of 35 extraordinary options activities were recorded for Seagate Technology Holdings, with puts totaling $352,191 and calls amounting to $3,682,958 [2] - The expected price movements for Seagate Technology Holdings are projected within a range of $115.0 to $420.0 based on recent options activity [3] Volume and Open Interest - An analysis of volume and open interest trends over the last 30 days reveals significant liquidity and interest in Seagate Technology Holdings' options, particularly within the identified strike price range [4][5] Largest Options Trades - Notable options trades include a bearish call trade with a total price of $1.4 million and a bullish call trade priced at $370,000, indicating mixed investor sentiment [8] Company Overview - Seagate Technology Holdings is a leading supplier of hard disk drives, operating in a practical duopoly with Western Digital in the data storage market [8] Current Market Status - The current trading volume for Seagate Technology Holdings stands at 1,224,588, with the stock price at $319.48, reflecting a decrease of -0.62% [11] - Analysts have issued a consensus target price of $337.0, with an Overweight rating from Morgan Stanley [10]

Core Viewpoint - Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX) is poised to report strong earnings growth driven by increasing demand for data storage solutions, particularly in the context of data center expansion and AI-related needs [1][5]. Financial Performance - Analysts anticipate STX will report a profit of $2.55 per share for the fiscal second quarter of 2026, reflecting a 40.1% increase from $1.82 per share in the same quarter last year [2]. - For the full fiscal year, EPS is expected to reach $10.40, a 43.3% increase from $7.26 in fiscal 2025, with further growth projected to $14.37 in fiscal 2027, representing a 38.2% year-over-year rise [3]. Stock Performance - STX shares have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 Index, rising 238.5% over the past 52 weeks compared to the index's 16.5% gain [4]. - The stock has also outperformed the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund, which gained 24.4% during the same period [4]. Market Drivers - The strong performance of STX is attributed to surging demand for storage solutions, driven by data center expansions and investments in generative AI by cloud providers, as well as the massive data requirements associated with AI [5]. - Hard disk drives (HDDs) are positioned as a cost-effective option for "cool" data storage, allowing Seagate to capitalize on the growing data creation and AI-related demand [5]. Recent Results and Expectations - In its Q1 results, STX reported an adjusted EPS of $2.61, surpassing Wall Street's expectations of $2.36, with revenue of $2.6 billion exceeding the forecast of $2.5 billion [6]. - For Q2, STX expects adjusted EPS to range from $2.55 to $2.95 and revenue between $2.6 billion and $2.8 billion [6]. Analyst Ratings - The consensus opinion on STX stock is bullish, with a "Strong Buy" rating from 18 out of 24 analysts, while one suggests a "Moderate Buy," four give a "Hold," and one recommends a "Strong Sell" [7]. - The average analyst price target for STX is $297.05, indicating a marginal potential upside from current levels [7].

Core Insights - Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) is recognized as one of the 15 best-performing AI stocks heading into 2026, with a positive outlook from analysts [1][2] - Bank of America Securities has reiterated a Buy rating on WDC, raising the price target from $170 to $197, while TD Cowen increased its target from $90 to $200 [1][2] - The hard disk drive (HDD) industry outlook remains positive, with WDC expected to achieve a cyclical high gross margin of over 50%, compared to approximately 31% in the previous cycle [2][3] Industry Outlook - Analysts from TD Cowen noted that WDC reported "flawless" results, indicating strong business performance and growth potential extending into 2027 [2] - JPMorgan analysts highlighted that WDC has secured purchase orders with five major customers extending through 2026, driven by increasing AI-related demand [4]

Core Insights - Investors with significant capital have adopted a bearish outlook on Seagate Technology Holdings (NASDAQ: STX) [1] - The options trading activity indicates that large investors are anticipating notable price movements for Seagate Technology [2][3] Options Trading Activity - A total of 10 unusual options trades were identified, with 3 puts amounting to $174,797 and 7 calls totaling $634,619, reflecting a sentiment split of 20% bullish and 40% bearish [2][3] - The predicted price range for Seagate Technology over the last three months has been targeted between $57.5 and $290.0 based on volume and open interest [4] Volume and Open Interest Insights - An analysis of the volume and open interest for Seagate Technology's options reveals key liquidity and interest levels at various strike prices, particularly within the $57.5 to $290.0 range [5] Largest Options Trades - Significant options trades include: - A bearish call sweep for a strike price of $260.00 with a total trade price of $297.7K [9] - A bearish put trade for a strike price of $260.00 with a total trade price of $113.2K [9] - Additional bearish call trades with varying strike prices and total trade prices [9] Company Overview - Seagate Technology is a leading supplier of hard disk drives, operating in a duopoly with Western Digital in the data storage market [10] - Recent analyst opinions suggest an average target price of $342.0, with various analysts maintaining buy ratings and target prices ranging from $255 to $465 [11][12] Current Market Position - The trading volume for Seagate Technology stands at 382,129, with the stock price increasing by 4.96% to $272.0 [14] - The stock may be approaching overbought conditions as indicated by RSI metrics, with an earnings announcement expected in 61 days [14]

Company Performance - Home Depot's stock fell 6%, marking the worst performance in the S&P 500, after the company missed third-quarter earnings forecasts and lowered its full-year profit outlook due to a lack of storms and economic uncertainty affecting homeowner remodeling projects [4][9]. - Medtronic's stock rose approximately 5% after exceeding analysts' estimates for fiscal second-quarter sales and adjusted profit, driven by strong demand in its end markets [8][10]. Market Overview - Major U.S. equity indexes declined for the second consecutive day, with the S&P 500 dropping 0.8%, the Dow sliding 1.1%, and the Nasdaq losing 1.2%, ahead of several high-profile earnings reports and delayed jobs data [3]. - Concerns regarding high valuations in the artificial intelligence sector negatively impacted tech stocks, with Western Digital and Micron Technology shares falling 5.9% and 5.6%, respectively [5]. Regulatory Developments - Amazon and Microsoft shares decreased by 4.4% and 2.7%, respectively, following the announcement of investigations by European Union regulators into their cloud computing services [6].