News

Seagate and Western Digital report first quarter earnings

Seagate

Seagate Technology plc today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. The company shipped 51 million disk drives and reported revenue of $2.8 billion, gross margin of 19.5%, net income of $140 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.32. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes the net impact of certain items, Seagate reported net income of $146 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.34 for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. For a detailed reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP results, see accompanying financial tables.

Additionally, Seagate returned $75 million to shareholders in the form of a dividend and repurchased $128 million of ordinary shares during the first fiscal quarter.

Acquisition of Samsung’s Hard Disk Drive Assets

The European Commission announced on October 19, 2011 that they have approved under the EU Merger Regulation, Seagate’s proposed acquisition of Samsung’s hard disk drive assets. The company will continue to work with other regulatory bodies to secure additional approvals in the coming weeks. Seagate believes the transaction will close by the end of calendar year 2011.

Western Digital

Western Digital Corp, today reported revenue of $2.7 billion, hard-drive unit shipments of 58 million and net income of $239 million, or $1.01 per share, for its first fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, 2011. The company’s results include expenses of $21 million associated with the planned acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) announced Mar. 7, 2011 and unrelated litigation accruals. Excluding these expenses, non-GAAP net income was $260 million or $1.10 per share.

In the year-ago quarter, the company reported revenue of $2.4 billion, net income of $197 million, or $0.84 per share, and shipped 51 million hard drives. The company generated $352 million in cash from operations during the September quarter, ending with total cash and cash equivalents of $3.7 billion. For more information, refer to First Quarter Fiscal 2012 Investor Information Summary.

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