WDC · Full Picture
WESTERN DIGITAL CORP — the full picture
Trailing window · 2026-05-12 to 2026-08-10
One earnings window, everything merged: the filing, the call, press releases and news digests, folded into ranked threads.
What to look at first
- Guidance and Outlook · Guidance & outlookPriority 88+35.0% net_income; 2 sources (news, press_release); 4 forward row(s); quote_verifiedQ1FY27 revenue guidance (non-GAAP): $4.1 billion +/- $100 million (implying a range of $4.0B to $4.2B) and expected to be up 42% to 49% year-over-year
- Liquidity and Debt Position · UnclassifiedPriority 79-24.2% net_income (realized); 2 sources (news, press_release); quote_verifiedLong-term debt at July 3, 2026: $0 million (down from $2,485 million at June 27, 2025)
- Gross Margin Drivers · Gross marginPriority 73-0.1% operating_income; 2 sources (news, press_release); 1 forward row(s); quote_verifiedGAAP Q4FY26 gross margin: 54.1%, up 1310 basis points year-over-year and up 390 basis points sequentially
- Revenue Performance and Mix · Revenue growth & mixPriority 72+121.2% revenue (realized); 2 sources (news, press_release); quote_verifiedQ4FY26 revenue: $3,747 million, up 44% year-over-year and up 12% quarter-over-quarter
- Income Tax Rate Changes · TaxPriority 71-12.8% net_income (realized); quote_verifiedQ1FY27 non-GAAP tax rate guidance: approximately 17%
- Operating Income and Margins · Operating income & profitabilityPriority 71-0.9% net_income; 1 forward row(s); quote_verifiedGAAP Q4FY26 operating income: $1,563 million, up 130% year-over-year and up 31% sequentially
- Acquisition / Partnership / Divestiture · M&A and divestituresPriority 63quote_verifiedSeparation Date of Flash business into Sandisk: February 21, 2025; Sandisk results are no longer consolidated into WD after that date
- Capital Return Program · Buybacks & dividendsPriority 602 sources (news, press_release); 1 forward row(s); quote_verifiedRepurchases of common stock in Q4FY26: $672 million and for fiscal year 2026: $2,592 million
- Operating Cash Flow Trends · Cash flow generationPriority 55quote_verifiedNet cash provided by operating activities for the year ended July 3, 2026: $3,929 million (up from $1,691 million prior year)
- AI Storage Contract Visibility · UnclassifiedPriority 542 forward row(s); quote_verifiedWestern Digital said AI storage contract talks extend as far as 2031, securing capacity up to five years in advance for AI infrastructure customers.
- Strategic Business Separation · UnclassifiedPriority 53quote_verifiedSeeking Alpha and others described Western Digital as a pure-play HDD storage provider post-Sandisk spin-off, with cloud representing 89% of revenue.
- HDD Pricing and Supply · Pricing & realizationPriority 52quote_verifiedMorningstar said pricing hikes exceeded expectations and Western Digital is securing long-term customer agreements extending through 2031.
Threads by pillar
Revenue & Demand Priority 78 · 4 threads
- Revenue Performance and MixPriority 72 · News, Release
- HDD Pricing and SupplyPriority 52 · News
- Revenue Concentration RiskPriority 51 · News
- Market Demand TrendsPriority 50 · Release
Costs & Margins Priority 78 · 4 threads
- Gross Margin DriversPriority 73 · News, Release
- Operating Income and MarginsPriority 71 · Release
- Net Income and EPS PerformancePriority 41 · News
- Operating Expense TrendsPriority 42 · Release
Capital & Balance Sheet Priority 78 · 4 threads
- Income Tax Rate ChangesPriority 71 · Release
- Capital Return ProgramPriority 60 · News, Release
- Operating Cash Flow TrendsPriority 55 · Release
- Capital ExpendituresPriority 34 · Release
Strategy & Portfolio Priority 63 · 1 thread
- Acquisition / Partnership / DivestiturePriority 63 · Release
Legal, Regulatory & Policy Priority 41 · 1 thread
- Litigation and Legal RiskPriority 41 · Release
Guidance & Outlook Priority 88 · 1 thread
- Guidance and OutlookPriority 88 · News, Release
Unclassified Priority 83 · 4 threads
- Liquidity and Debt PositionPriority 79 · News, Release
- AI Storage Contract VisibilityPriority 54 · News
- Strategic Business SeparationPriority 53 · News
- AI Infrastructure DemandPriority 47 · News
Expected impact by metric
| metric | forward net | forward gross | realized |
|---|---|---|---|
| net_income | +34.1% | +36.4% | +62.6% |
| operating_income | -0.9% | +0.9% | +104.8% |
| margin | — | — | +78.0% |
| revenue | — | — | +121.2% |