New York, Feb 16, 2026, 13:12 EST — The market is closed.
- U.S. markets remain closed Monday for Washington’s Birthday. Trading picks back up on Tuesday.
- Over the weekend, CEO Irving Tan said most hard-drive capacity for 2026 is already spoken for, reports noted.
- Up next: the Morgan Stanley TMT conference has a slot on March 3, followed by the ex-dividend date on March 5.
Western Digital could grab attention when U.S. markets open Tuesday, after a tech report over the weekend spotlighted CEO Irving Tan’s remarks to investors that the company is “pretty much sold out” of hard drives for 2026. The report noted Tan pointed to solid purchase commitments from Western Digital’s top seven customers, along with longer-term deals running through 2028. (The Verge)
With U.S. stock markets shut Monday for Washington’s Birthday, traders will have to wait for their first shot at pricing in the latest comments. The pause comes as investors keep a close watch on supply cues, especially in chips and hardware linked to AI data center spending. (New York Stock Exchange)
Western Digital slipped 0.9% to close at $281.58 on Friday, having bounced from as low as $266.46 up to $289.66 during the session. After hours? The stock was recently quoted at $281.40, data from StockAnalysis show. (StockAnalysis)
Tom’s Hardware reported that Tan made his comments during the company’s fiscal Q2 earnings call, highlighting that long-term deals are set with both volume and pricing locked in — and those volumes, measured in exabytes, reflect just how massive the digital storage demand is. The publication also referenced an investor-relations exec, who noted cloud business accounted for most of the quarter’s revenue, making it clear: the company’s results are closely tied to major data-center clients. (Tom’s Hardware)
Western Digital’s company profile describes it as a developer and seller of data storage devices and solutions, with its hard disk drives reaching into cloud, client, and consumer markets. (Reuters)
That “sold out” comment? It signals just how scarce high-capacity drives might get for the big data center buyers. When customers start snapping up supply ahead of time, price comes into play fast — and the real test is whether Western Digital can nudge prices higher through contracts without ceding ground to rivals.
HDDs lag behind solid-state drives in speed, but with lower per-terabyte pricing, they remain the go-to for long-term storage. Cheap storage is the selling point that keeps hyperscalers and cloud players stocking up for cold storage, backups, and sprawling training datasets—the less flashy infrastructure powering AI in the background.
There’s a catch for Western Digital: it could easily slip into single-theme territory. Any stumble in cloud capex, a quick loosening of component bottlenecks, or just a change in who’s buying could derail the narrative—even if demand holds up.
Western Digital plans a management appearance at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 3, with a webcast set for the session. (Western Digital)
The next dividend from the company goes ex-dividend on March 5, with payment set for March 18, its dividend history shows. (Western Digital Investor Relations)
When markets reopen Tuesday, the focus lands on whether capacity headlines can actually spark fresh buying—or just get lost in the wider tech shuffle. Next up: March 3, when the conference appearance could bring updates on pricing, supply, and customer demand.
