New York, Feb 3, 2026, 12:15 (EST) — Regular session
Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX) climbed $6.84, roughly 1.6%, to $439.79 in late-morning trading Tuesday. The shares fluctuated between $424.61 and $458.87 after opening at $450.89. Around 3.4 million shares changed hands.
The whipsaw is significant since storage stocks have turned into a crowded play linked to data-center spending, and now the tape is getting volatile. When shares swing this sharply and quickly, even minor headlines can send them tumbling.
The newest shake-up came from an insider transaction disclosure, landing just as investors scanned peers in the same market segment for clues.
A Form 4 submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday reveals that Ban Seng Teh, Seagate’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, exercised 9,433 stock options at $101.34 each. He then sold 20,195 ordinary shares on Jan. 29, with prices ranging between $440 and $445. Post-transaction, he held 3,092 ordinary shares. (SEC)
Option exercises usually trigger tax liabilities, prompting executives to sell some of their shares. But in a momentum-driven market, investors often interpret any sign of profit-taking with extra scrutiny.
Seagate topped quarterly estimates last week and projected fiscal third-quarter revenue and profit ahead of Wall Street’s expectations, driven by strong demand for data storage. CEO Dave Mosley noted that “modern data centers increasingly need storage solutions” that remain cost-efficient at scale. The company forecast revenue around $2.90 billion, with a $100 million margin, and adjusted earnings of $3.40 per share, plus or minus 20 cents. (Reuters)
The sector found fresh support Monday, boosted by chatter around supply constraints and pricing power. Seagate and a handful of its peers jumped roughly 6% in trading. Analysts mentioned in a report also flagged a demand “supercycle” hitting certain segments of the memory-and-storage market. (Business Insider)
Western Digital stepped up on Tuesday, announcing its board greenlit an extra $4 billion for share buybacks, driven by robust demand from AI servers. (Reuters)
The scene isn’t straightforward. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the January jobs report won’t drop Friday due to a partial government shutdown. Emily Liddel noted, “the release will be rescheduled upon the resumption of government funding.” Changes in rate outlooks tend to hit high-flying tech stocks first. (Reuters)
Traders are eyeing Seagate to see if the stock can find footing after Tuesday’s volatile session, while also monitoring for additional insider disclosures amid ongoing option exercises. In the short run, the key drivers remain capital return announcements and supply updates from industry peers.
Investors have one definite date to mark: Seagate will distribute a quarterly cash dividend of $0.74 per share on April 8. The payout goes to shareholders recorded by March 25. (Seagate Investor Relations)
