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Western Digital Corporation (WDC) earnings date & stock reaction

Western Digital Corporation · IT

Western Digital Corporation earnings date & time

Next earningsThu, November 5 around 4:00 PM ET, after the closescheduled

Schedule

Korea time (KST)
Fri, November 6
Reporting pattern
12 of last 12 after close
Typical move
±6.0% · 12-report avg

What the market expects

Consensus EPS

$4.04Coming in above this counts as a beat

Year-ago quarter
$1.78→+127.0%
Guided revenue
$3.7B→$4.1B+9.4%
Guided EPS
$3.56→$4.00+12.4%
Full earnings calendarFrom an earnings calendar
Latest reportMay–Jul 2026 results· August 5, 2026 reported
EPS consensus $3.30 → $3.56 ▲ +7.9% beatRev $2.6B → $3.7B +44% YoY
Post-earnings price move
Next-day move
-13.0%
After 5 days
-12.5%
Price around earnings
Around this report
Sector peer Arista Networks Inc. +3.6% next day (8/4)A same-industry peer, Arista Networks Inc., reported within the 10 days before this one (1d earlier). How the market took it (next-day move +3.6%) is the best read on the sector mood. A beat that still fell means the bar was high, so this stock may face similar pressure.
Earnings callRevenue surged 44% driven by data center demand with significant margin expansion
“In our fiscal fourth quarter, revenue increased 44% year over year, gross and operating margins expanded, and earnings per share more than doubled.”
· Irving Tan, CEO
“For our fiscal first quarter of 2027, at the midpoint of the ranges provided in the table below, we expect revenue of $4.1 billion, non-GAAP gross margin of 55.5%, and non-GAAP EPS of $4.00.”
· Kris Sennesael, CFO
Positives
  • ▲Strong growth in Cloud segment
    • Cloud revenue hit $3.3 billion, up 43% vs last year.
    • Strong demand for high-capacity nearline products and favorable pricing drove this growth.
  • ▲Significant improvement in profitability
    • GAAP operating income rose to $1.56 billion, up 130% vs last year.
    • Non-GAAP gross margin expanded to 54.4%, up 1,310 bps vs last year.
  • ▲Robust cash flow and shareholder returns
    • The company generated $1.28 billion in free cash flow during the quarter.
    • WD completed $1 billion in share repurchases during the quarter.
Concerns
  • ▼Deceleration in exabyte shipment growth
    • Exabyte shipments grew 22% vs last year, slowing down from the 30% growth levels seen in previous quarters.
Based on the Aug 5, 2026 earnings-call transcript. Quotes are verbatim.

Western Digital Corporation (WDC) rose the day after earnings in 6 of its last 12 reports (50%), moving ±6.0% on average. It has fallen despite beating the consensus estimate 6 times.

Up next day
6/12
50%
Fell despite growth
4/12
Good earnings ignored
Price when beating
-1.3%
avg over 11 beats
Price when missing
+4.8%
avg over 1 misses
Avg earnings move
±6.0%
typical swing on earnings
Biggest single move
-13.0%
'26.8 · largest reaction
🔑What actually moves this stock?

Even when EPS beat expectations, the stock fell 6 of the last 10 times. The number alone doesn't move it.

What really matters here
Nearline HDD demand for data centers and NAND price
In finance terms: Nearline HDD · NAND price
Growth · revenue (YoY by quarter, latest right)
-34%
25-04(Mar qtr)
+30%
25-07(Jun qtr)
-31%
25-10(Oct qtr)
-30%
26-01(Jan qtr)
+45%
26-04(Apr qtr)
+44%
26-08(Jul qtr)
Accelerating · Growth is accelerating (-34%→+44%), but this stock often falls even on strong results (6 recent times). Expectations are already high, so accelerating isn't enough. It must beat a lofty bar.
What to watch next report

When results drop, skip the EPS number. Check if the growth above holds or accelerates, and whether guidance beats expectations.

The real bar for this stock

Beating estimates isn't enough. Here's where the real surprise started.

Beat consensus 10 of 11 times. Beating is the default here
Median beat +12.9%. 6 of those beats still fell the next day.
Bigger beats didn't mean bigger gains
Surprise size and price moved separately here. Expectations, not beats, drive this stock.

How this stock reacts to earnings

Traits seen across its recent earnings reactions

Even strong results barely move the stock
Up the next day 5 of 11 beats (45%)
Big earnings-day moves tend to fade within days
Reversed the day-one move · 67% of last 12
vs IT sector avg (192 peers)
This
-0.8%
Sector
+1.0%
Avg next-day reaction

Earnings number vs guidance: which drives it?

How often the beat/miss matched the actual price move

This stock reacts more to guidance & expectations than the reported number
Moved opposite to results 7 of last 12 times (58%)
6xBeat but fell
Even a beat sells off if guidance disappoints
1xMissed but rose
Even a miss rebounds if guidance reassures
Fell despite growth4/12

6/11 beats fell next day · watches Nearline HDD · NAND price

Next-day reaction
  • Jul 2026 report-13.0%
  • Apr 2026 report-0.7%
  • Jan 2026 report-10.1%
  • Oct 2025 report+8.8%
  • Jun 2025 report+10.2%
  • Mar 2025 report+0.2%

Earnings timeline · bars = next-day move, ▲▼ = beat/miss

May–Jul 2026 results
Reported 2026-08-05
Next-day move
-13.0%
After 5 days -12.5%
EPS consensus $3.30 → $3.56 ▲ +7.9% beatRev $2.6B → $3.7B +44% YoY
Beat by +7.9% but stock -13.0%
Next-Q guidance+9%· ~$4.1B est.
Price around earnings
Around this report
Sector peer Arista Networks Inc. +3.6% next day (8/4)A same-industry peer, Arista Networks Inc., reported within the 10 days before this one (1d earlier). How the market took it (next-day move +3.6%) is the best read on the sector mood. A beat that still fell means the bar was high, so this stock may face similar pressure.

Earnings trend · last 12 quarters

EPS$3.56YoY +115%
'23.10'26.8
Revenue$3.7BYoY +44%
'23.10'26.8

Earnings history and price reaction

Western Digital Corporation across its last 12 earnings reports: EPS versus consensus, the move on the earnings day, and the cumulative move five trading days later.
Quarter endedReported (ET)vs market expectation (consensus)Earnings dayAfter 5 days
7/20262026-08-05+7.9%-13.0%-12.5%
4/20262026-04-30+13.6%-0.7%+6.8%
1/20262026-01-29+10.5%-10.1%-6.5%
10/20252025-10-30+12.9%+8.8%+18.4%
6/20252025-07-30+12.1%+10.2%+3.3%
3/20252025-04-30+22.7%+0.2%+1.0%

12 reports, quarters ending 9/2023 to 7/2026. The earnings-day move is the first trading day that reflects the report; the five-day figure is the cumulative move from that point.

Frequently asked questions

When is the next Western Digital Corporation earnings date?

The next Western Digital Corporation (WDC) earnings report is expected Thu, November 5 around 4:00 PM ET, after the close. It comes from an earnings calendar and may not be a company-confirmed date; it updates automatically if it changes.

What is the consensus EPS forecast for Western Digital Corporation's next earnings?

Analysts expect EPS of about $4.04 for Western Digital Corporation (WDC). Coming in above that counts as a beat, below it a miss — though a beat does not guarantee the stock rises.

Does Western Digital Corporation (WDC) stock usually go up after earnings?

Over the last 12 earnings reports, the stock rose on 6 of them (50%). The average move on earnings day was ±6.0%.

Does Western Digital Corporation react more to the earnings numbers or to guidance?

In 7 of the last 12 reports (58%), the stock moved the opposite way from whether it beat or missed the forecast. A high share means guidance and expectations drive the move more than the reported numbers.

Can Western Digital Corporation stock fall even when earnings are good?

Yes. In 4 of the last 12 reports, Western Digital Corporation fell on the earnings day despite growing EPS. Expectations already priced in, or guidance, can matter more than the reported numbers.

Does Western Digital Corporation stock keep moving after the earnings day?

Over the last 12 reports, the move continued in the same direction for the following five trading days 33% of the time. This tendency is known as post-earnings announcement drift.