Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Fourth Quarter And Fiscal Year 2018 Financial Results

Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Fourth Quarter And Fiscal Year 2018 Financial Results

Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) (the “Company” or “Seagate”) today reported financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended June 29, 2018. For the fourth quarter, the Company reported revenue of $2.8 billion, gross margin of 31.9%, net income of $461 million and diluted earnings per share of $1.57. On a non-GAAP basis, which excludes the net impact of certain items, Seagate reported gross margin of 32.4%, net income of $475 million and diluted earnings per share of $1.62. 

During the fourth quarter, the Company generated $468 million in cash flow from operations and $372 million in free cash flow.

For the fiscal year ended June 29, 2018, the Company reported revenue of $11.2 billion, gross margin of 30.1%, net income of $1.2 billion and diluted earnings per share of $4.05. On a non-GAAP basis, Seagate reported gross margin of 30.7%, net income of $1.6 billion and diluted earnings per share of $5.51.

In fiscal year 2018, the Company generated approximately $2.1 billion in cash flow from operations and $1.7 billion in free cash flow, paid cash dividends of $726 million and repurchased 10 million ordinary shares for $361 million. Seagate’s balance sheet remains healthy and during the fiscal year the Company repurchased $214 million of outstanding debt and invested approximately $1.3 billion, as part of a consortium led by Bain Capital Private Equity, in the acquisition of Toshiba Memory Corporation. Cash and cash equivalents totaled approximately $1.9 billion at the end of the fiscal year. There were 287 million ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of the end of the fiscal year.

“We achieved our third consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth and exceeded our financial performance expectations for both the June quarter and this fiscal year. Seagate’s year-over-year revenue and profitability growth results for fiscal year 2018 reflect solid execution and strong demand for our mass storage products. Looking ahead, we are confident that storage infrastructure demand will continue to grow with the Data Age digital transformations being fueled by new technologies, emerging industries and growing businesses. We believe Seagate has expanding opportunities to support the marketplace in these transformations and that we have the vision, products, technology and operational experience to ensure our long-term success and grow shareholder value,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chief executive officer.

For a detailed reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results, see accompanying financial tables.

Seagate has issued a Supplemental Financial Information document, which is available on Seagate’s Investors Relations website at www.seagate.com/investors.

Quarterly Cash Dividend

The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.63 per share, which will be payable on October 3, 2018 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 19, 2018. The payment of any future quarterly dividends will be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent upon Seagate’s financial position, results of operations, available cash, cash flow, capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

Investor Communications

Seagate management will hold a public webcast today at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time that can be accessed on its Investor Relations website at www.seagate.com/investors. During today’s webcast, the Company will provide an outlook for its first fiscal quarter of 2019, including key underlying assumptions.

An archived audio webcast of this event will be available on Seagate’s Investors Relations website atwww.seagate.com/investors shortly following the event conclusion.