New York, January 13, 2026, 14:29 EST — Regular session
- Shares of Western Digital climbed roughly 1.6% during afternoon trading
- Company scheduled fiscal second-quarter results for Jan. 29, followed by a post-close call
- Investors are gearing up for earnings that will put the AI-driven storage narrative to the test
Shares of Western Digital Corp climbed 1.6%, closing at $215.57 on Tuesday. The data-storage company said it will release its fiscal second-quarter results on Jan. 29, after markets close at 4 p.m. ET. During the session, shares fluctuated between $208.01 and $216.80.
That calendar update hits a stock already seeing rapid, sizable moves. Western Digital surged 5.8% in the previous session and has experienced several volatile swings since early January, reflecting ongoing attempts to gauge the cycle’s trajectory.
The surge in storage stocks is fueled by AI enthusiasm. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told analysts at CES that the memory storage sector is “a completely unserved market today.” His remarks sparked a rally last week in hard-drive and flash stocks, notably Western Digital and Seagate. markets.businessinsider.com
Zacks Equity Research reports that analysts are forecasting Western Digital to deliver earnings per share (EPS) of $1.92 for the current quarter. The consensus estimate for the full fiscal year stands at $7.66 per share, with quarterly revenue expected to hit roughly $2.91 billion.
Tuesday saw a split among peers. Seagate climbed roughly 1.5%, but Micron slipped around 2.3% by the afternoon session.
Western Digital makes hard drives for personal computers and cloud data centers. Right now, demand from hyperscalers—the largest cloud operators—is driving the stock’s near-term momentum.
The Jan. 29 report will offer investors a clearer view on whether pricing power remains intact and if customers continue favoring higher-capacity drives amid rising AI data demands. Guidance could prove just as crucial as the actual quarterly results.
This setup works both ways. Expectations have soared quickly, and any hint that orders are falling, supply is easing, or prices are softening could slam shares after their momentum-fueled run and talk of tight capacity.
Western Digital is up next, reporting after the bell on Jan. 29. The company’s conference call starts at 4:30 p.m. ET, where investors will be tuned in for any clues on demand and pricing that could either push the rally further or send it tumbling.
