Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2027 Financial Results

Fiscal Q1 2027 Highlights

• Revenue of $4.2 billion
• GAAP gross margin of 57.3%; non-GAAP gross margin of 57.8%
• GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $7.59; non-GAAP diluted EPS of $7.68
• Cash flow from operations of $1.7 billion and free cash flow of $1.5 billion
• Retired $1.2 billion of debt and returned $568 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases
• Increased quarterly cash dividend by approximately 3% to $0.76 per share

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX) (the “Company” or “Seagate”), a leading innovator of mass-capacity data storage, today reported financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended October 2, 2026.

“Seagate delivered another quarter of record profitability and our highest ever free cash flow in the September quarter, demonstrating the earnings power of our business amid a strengthening demand environment,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chair and chief executive officer.

“Data creation, retention and reuse continue to compound storage demand with long term customer demand visibility reinforcing our view of a multi-year growth phase. Our HAMR-based technology roadmap enables us to address growing exabyte demand through areal density gains while maintaining supply discipline. Combined with our value-based pricing strategy and strengthened balance sheet, we believe Seagate can deliver profitable growth, strong cash generation and increased shareholder returns over the long term,” Mosley concluded.

Quarterly Financial Results

For a detailed reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results, see accompanying financial tables.

During the fiscal first quarter, the Company generated $1.7 billion in cash flow from operations and $1.5 billion in free cash flow. Seagate’s balance sheet strengthened as the Company retired approximately $1.2 billion in principal debt in the fiscal first quarter, lowering gross debt to $2.4 billion. Additionally, the Company returned $568 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. As of the end of the quarter, cash and cash equivalents totaled $1.3 billion, and there were 230 million ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

Subsequent to the end of the fiscal first quarter, the Company retired an additional $750 million of principal debt, bringing gross debt to $1.6 billion.

Seagate has issued a Supplemental Financial Information document, which is available on Seagate’s Investor Relations website at investors.seagate.com.

Quarterly Cash Dividend

The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.76 per share, which will be payable on January 7, 2027 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 23, 2026. The payment of any future quarterly dividends will be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent upon Seagate’s financial position, results of operations, available cash, cash flow, capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

Business Outlook

The business outlook for the fiscal second quarter of 2027 is based on our current assumptions and expectations; actual results may differ materially as a result of, among other things, the important factors discussed in the Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements section of this release.

The Company is providing the following guidance for its fiscal second quarter 2027:

• Revenue of $4.8 billion, plus or minus $100 million
• Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $9.20, plus or minus $0.20

Guidance regarding non-GAAP diluted EPS excludes known pre-tax charges related to estimated share-based compensation expenses of $0.30 per share.

We have not reconciled our non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance for fiscal second quarter 2027 to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, other than estimated share-based compensation expenses, because material items that may impact these measures are out of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, including, but not limited to, net (gain) loss from debt transactions, strategic investment losses (gains) or impairment charges, income tax adjustments on these measures, and other charges or benefits that may arise. The amounts of these measures are not currently available but may be material to future results. A reconciliation of our historical non-GAAP financial measures to their nearest GAAP equivalent is contained in this release.

Investor Communications

Seagate management will hold a public webcast today at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET that can be accessed on its Investor Relations website at investors.seagate.com.

An archived audio webcast of this event will be available on Seagate’s Investor Relations website at investors.seagate.com shortly following the event conclusion.

About Seagate Technology

Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) is a pioneer in mass-capacity data storage, accelerating ability to harness the full value of data. Our portfolio of advanced storage solutions helps hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises, and consumers protect, create and manage the data that powers their transformation and growth. For more than 45 years, Seagate has driven breakthrough innovations that bring sustainable, high-performance storage to the world at-scale. Learn more at www.seagate.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, X and Facebook.

© 2026 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Seagate, Seagate Technology, and the Spiral logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and our other communications regarding our quarterly financial results contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical fact. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about the Company’s plans, programs, strategies, prospects, and opportunities; financial outlook for future periods; expectations regarding our ability to service debt and continue to generate free cash flow; expectations regarding our ability to make timely quarterly payments under the settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security; expectations regarding logistical, macroeconomic, or other factors affecting the Company, including uncertainty related to tariffs, trade restrictions, or evolving global trade policy; expectations regarding market demand for the Company’s products, our visibility into such demand and our ability to optimize our level of production and meet market and industry expectations and the effects of these future trends on Company’s financial and operational performance, including our ability to deliver profitable growth; anticipated shifts in technology and storage industry trends, and anticipated demand and performance of new storage product introductions, including HAMR-based Mozaic products; our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions with our existing business; and expectations regarding the Company’s business strategy and performance, as well as dividend issuance plans for future periods. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “may,” “will,” “will continue,” “can,” “could” or the negative of these words, variations of these words and comparable terminology, in each case, intended to refer to future events or circumstances. However, the absence of these words or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are subject to various uncertainties and risks that could cause our actual results to differ materially from historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s latest periodic report on Form 10-Q or Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to us on, and which speak only as of, the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, unless required by applicable law.

The inclusion of Seagate’s website addresses in this press release are provided for convenience only. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, Seagate’s websites and social media channels are not part of this press release.

Use of non-GAAP financial information

The Company uses non-GAAP measures of gross profit, gross margin, operating expenses, income from operations, operating margin, net income, diluted EPS, free cash flow, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and last twelve months adjusted EBITDA, which are adjusted from results based on GAAP to exclude certain benefits, expenses, gains and losses. These non-GAAP financial measures are used by management to evaluate the business and provided to enhance the user’s overall understanding of the Company’s current financial performance and its prospects for the future. Specifically, the Company believes non-GAAP results provide useful information to investors as these non-GAAP results exclude certain benefits, expenses, gains and losses that the Company believes are not part of the Company's ongoing operations and not indicative of its core operating results.

These non-GAAP financial measures are some of the measurements management uses to assess the Company’s performance, allocate resources and plan for future periods. Reported non-GAAP results should only be considered as supplemental to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, and not considered as a substitute or replacement for, or superior to, GAAP results. These non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP measures reported by other companies in its industry.

The Company’s Non-GAAP measures are adjusted for the following items:

Acquisition-related charges

Acquisition-related charges are primarily related to transaction and integration costs. These expenses are excluded in the non-GAAP measures due to the inconsistency in amount and frequency, and they are not normal operating expenses or indicative of the Company’s operating performance. Excluding these amounts provides investors with a supplemental view to evaluate the Company’s operating performance across periods​.

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

The Company records expense from amortization of intangible assets that were acquired in connection with its business combinations over their estimated useful lives. Such charges are inconsistent in size and are significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of the Company’s acquisitions. Consequently, the Company excludes these amounts to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operating performance across periods.

Legal settlement

From time to time, the Company incurs charges related to the settlement of litigation matters. These charges are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are excluded from the Company’s non-GAAP measures to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operating performance across periods.

Net gain/loss from business divestiture

From time to time, the Company records net gains or losses from the sale of businesses. These net gains or losses are excluded in the non-GAAP measures because they are not indicative of the Company’s operating performance. The Company excludes these amounts to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operating performance across periods.

Net gain/loss from debt transactions

From time to time, the Company incurs gains, losses and fees from the early redemption and repurchase of certain long-term debt instruments. The amount of these charges may be inconsistent in size and varies depending on the timing of the early redemption of debt. The Company does not believe these are part of its normal operating performance. Excluding these amounts provides investors with a supplemental view to evaluate the Company’s operating performance across periods.​

Restructuring and other, net

Restructuring and other, net are costs associated with restructuring plans that are primarily related to reduction in the Company’s workforce, exiting certain facilities, inventory write down related to discontinued product lines and other related costs, as well as charges or gains from sale of properties. These costs or benefits do not reflect the Company’s normal or ongoing operating performance and consequently the Company excludes these amounts to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operating performance across periods.

Share-based compensation related charges

Share-based compensation related charges primarily consist of costs related to restricted stock, performance share units, stock options and employee stock purchases, and their associated employer payroll taxes. The Company excludes these amounts from its non-GAAP measures because they can fluctuate based on factors unrelated to underlying operating performance, such as the Company’s stock price, award vesting schedule and the timing and size of stock option exercises. Excluding these amounts provides investors with a supplemental view to evaluate the Company’s operating performance across periods.​

Strategic investment gains, losses and impairment charges

From time to time, the Company recognizes gains, losses or impairment charges from strategic investments, including fair value changes, equity method gains and losses, impairment charges, and adjustments resulting from observable price changes under the measurement alternative. These amounts may vary significantly in amount and frequency and are not considered indicative of the Company's underlying operating performance. The Company excludes these amounts to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operating performance across periods.

Other charges

Other charges primarily include IT transformation costs. These charges are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are excluded to provide investors with a supplemental view of the Company's operating performance across periods.

Income tax adjustments

Seagate utilizes a projected annual non-GAAP income tax rate to determine its non-GAAP income taxes. The annual non-GAAP tax rate is based on considerations such as its current tax structure, projected tax positions and impacts from key legislation implemented in various jurisdictions but excludes the tax effects of pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments and other significant non-recurring income tax items. The Company believes applying the non-GAAP tax rate provides consistency across the interim reporting periods and reduces the effects of items not directly related to its operating structure that can vary in size and frequency. The non-GAAP income tax rate could be subject to change for a variety of reasons, including significant changes in tax laws. The Company will re-evaluate periodically its non-GAAP tax rate and may adjust as appropriate. For fiscal year 2027, the Company uses a projected non-GAAP income tax rate of 15.5%.

Non-GAAP diluted share count adjustments

Using the if-converted method, diluted net income per share is calculated assuming that the excess value above the principal of the 2028 exchangeable notes were converted solely into shares of common stock at the beginning of the reporting period, unless the result would be anti-dilutive. Non-GAAP shares used in diluted net income per share calculation excluded certain dilutive shares, which are expected to be offset partially by the capped call transactions entered by the Company in conjunction with our 2028 exchangeable senior notes in order to reduce the potential dilution to the Company’s ordinary shares upon the conversion.

Free cash flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure defined as net cash provided by operating activities less acquisition of property, equipment and leasehold improvements. Free cash flow does not reflect non-cash items, net cash used or provided by financing activities and net cash used or provided by investing activities, other than acquisition of property, equipment and leasehold improvements. This non-GAAP financial measure is used by management to assess the Company's sources of liquidity, capital structure and operating performance.

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and last twelve months (LTM) adjusted EBITDA

EBITDA is defined as net income before income tax expense, interest expense, interest income, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain expenses, gains and losses that the Company believes are not indicative of its core operating results. These adjustments primarily include net gain/loss from debt transactions, net gain/loss from business divestiture, restructuring and other, net, share-based compensation related charges, strategic investment gain/loss or impairment charge, and other extraordinary charges such as factory underutilization charges. LTM adjusted EBITDA is defined as the total of last twelve months adjusted EBITDA. These non-GAAP financial measures are used by management to evaluate the Company’s debt portfolio and structure to comply with its financial debt covenants.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261027450936/en/

Investor Relations Contact:
Shanye Hudson, (510) 661-1600
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Carrie Schafer, (303) 941-9470
[email protected]

Source: Seagate Technology Holdings plc

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