Seagate (STX) 2025 Investor Day Summary Company Overview - Seagate has been in the hard drive industry for 45 years, focusing on data storage solutions for devices and cloud services [16][14][12] - The company shipped 550 exabytes of data in the past year, which is approximately half a zettabyte, enough to store two-thirds of the data on the world's cell phones [16][12] Industry Insights - The growth of data is a central theme, with projections indicating a mid-twenties compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for data centers over the next decade [23][12] - The world is expected to generate 72 zettabytes of data annually by 2020, with most data not being stored or utilized [21][22] - Nearline storage in data centers is projected to require 7.2 zettabytes of new data over the next four years, surpassing the storage capacity needed in the last decade [24][23] Technology Developments - Seagate is transitioning from perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) to heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology, which will significantly increase storage capacity [46][81] - The introduction of HAMR allows for a jump from 30 terabyte drives to 50 terabyte drives, with expectations to ship 50 terabyte drives by 2028 [47][46] - The company is currently in volume production of Mosaic three technology, which supports three terabytes per disk, and is preparing for Mosaic four, which will support four terabytes per disk [78][95] Financial Performance - Seagate has achieved a 10% uplift in gross margin since the last Analyst Day and has generated $4 billion in free cash flow [69][70] - The company has returned $7 billion in value to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks, including an 11% increase in dividends [69][70] - Seagate has authorized an additional $5 billion for share buybacks, reflecting confidence in long-term growth [70][71] Market Positioning - The company maintains a build-to-order model for 70% of its data center volume, ensuring a disciplined approach to supply and demand [66][67] - Seagate is focusing on both cloud and edge data storage solutions, recognizing the importance of data sovereignty and local data centers [36][37][38] Customer Insights - Customers emphasize the total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits of hard drives compared to solid-state drives (SSDs), with hard drives being six to seven times more cost-effective [74][75] - The demand for higher capacity hard drives is driven by the need for efficient data storage solutions in data centers [75] Future Outlook - Seagate anticipates continued growth in data storage needs driven by emerging applications, particularly in AI and video content [30][31][32] - The company is confident in its ability to innovate and meet future storage demands, with plans for further advancements in technology and capacity [70][71][106]

Western Digital (WDC) FY Conference May 13, 2025 03:10 PM ET Speaker0 Okay. Perfect. All right. Good afternoon and welcome to the first day of JPMorgan's fifty third Annual Technology Media and Communications Conference. My name is Harlan Sur. I'm the semiconductor and semiconductor capital equipment analyst for the firm. Very pleased to have Irving Tan, CEO of Western Digital. We have we have Chris Senesall, the newly appointed chief financial officer of the team. And here in the front, we have Ambrish Sri ...

Western Digital (WDC) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.36 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.22 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.63 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 11.48%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of hard drives for businesses and personal computers would post earnings of $1.75 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.77, delivering a surprise o ...

Tuesday, April 29, 2025The S&P 500 enjoyed its sixth-straight up-day in the stock market this Tuesday, with neither economic data nor earnings reports offering numbers having a chilling effect on recent positive sentiment. That said, hopefulness on the trade tariff front continues to rest on faith; to this date, there are no concrete trade deals reported between the U.S. and any of its global trade partners.The Dow gained an even 300 points, +0.75%, in Tuesday trading. The S&P 500 added +32 points, +0.58%, ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Seagate reported a 31% year-on-year increase in revenue, reaching $2.16 billion, and an 81% growth in non-GAAP gross profit dollars [5][13] - Non-GAAP gross margin expanded by 70 basis points sequentially to 36.2%, and non-GAAP operating margin increased to 23.5% of revenue [13][16] - Non-GAAP EPS was $1.90, at the top end of the guidance range, with free cash flow generation increasing to $216 million compared to $150 million in the prior period [18][19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Nearline revenue represented approximately 90% of mass capacity volume, with shipments of 120 exabytes, down 5% sequentially but up 55% year-on-year [15] - Mass capacity revenue declined sequentially by $145 million to $1.7 billion, but represented a 48% increase year-on-year [14] - Legacy product sales totaled $254 million, down 8% sequentially, reflecting expected seasonal trends [15] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Cloud nearline revenue and exabytes were up nearly 10% sequentially, almost doubling year-over-year amid a tight supply environment [8] - Demand for mass capacity storage aligns with the cloud CapEx investment cycle and ongoing data center infrastructure build-out to support AI transformations [8][10] - Nearline exabyte demand looks strong through calendar 2025, with visibility of demand extending into the first half of calendar 2026 [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on managing controllable factors while executing its aerial density-driven technology roadmap [7] - Seagate's HAMR-based Mosaic drives are positioned as the industry's only three terabyte per disk products, with ramping volume to qualified customers [7][12] - The company aims to transform its business model to prioritize profits and cash generation, capitalizing on the growth in data generation and value [23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expects minimal impact from trade policy changes on fourth-quarter financial performance and is monitoring the situation closely [6][20] - The company anticipates robust demand for high-capacity nearline products across the global cloud customer base, driving revenue and profits higher in the upcoming quarter [20] - Management expressed confidence in the long-term growth potential driven by increasing data generation and the need for mass capacity storage [23] Other Important Information - The company returned $152 million to shareholders through dividends and maintained liquidity of $2.1 billion at the end of March [19] - Seagate's debt balance was $5.1 billion, with a net leverage ratio of 2.1 times, and plans for further reduction in the coming quarters [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: How did Seagate manage upside in the quarter despite supply constraints? - Management indicated that the predictability built through the build-to-order process allowed them to guide revenue effectively, despite previous operational issues being resolved [29][30] Question: What is the status of HAMR qualifications and its contribution to results? - Management confirmed that HAMR is growing well, with several qualifications in progress, and that it contributed positively to the quarter's results [34][37] Question: How has visibility improved regarding customer demand? - Management noted that build-to-order models provide predictability, and there is a sense of urgency from customers for data center investments [41][42] Question: What is the impact of tariffs on financial models? - Management stated that passing through tariff-related costs would be a last resort, and they are focused on maintaining margins to reinvest in technology [50][52] Question: What is the outlook for revenue growth and gross margin in the back half of the year? - Management expressed confidence in sequential revenue growth and gross margin expansion, with strong demand visibility extending into early 2026 [55][58] Question: How does the company view the impact of emerging AI workloads on storage demand? - Management highlighted that AI workloads are expected to drive significant storage demand, particularly for video applications and large datasets [64][65]