Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX) today reported financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended December 31, 2021. "Calendar 2021 was an outstanding year for Seagate. Compared with the prior calendar year, we grew revenue by 18% and more importantly, delivered free cash flow growth of 39%, which we are deploying effectively into our long-standing capital returns program," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's chief executive officer.

"The calendar year was capped by strong December quarter performance including our highest revenue level in over 6-years, supported by cloud data center demand for our high capacity nearline products. We continue to execute amid a very dynamic business environment. Barring any significant additional macro disruptions, we expect to build on our 2021 performance this calendar year and beyond as favorable demand trends support revenue expansion consistent with our long-term financial model range of 3-to-6% growth."The Company generated $521 million in cash flow from operations and $426 million in free cash flow during the fiscal second quarter 2022. Seagate maintained a healthy balance sheet, and during the fiscal second quarter the Company paid cash dividends of $151 million and repurchased 5.1 million ordinary shares for $471 million. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $1.5 billion. There were 219 million ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of the end of the quarter.

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 Investor Relations website at investors.seagate.com.

Quarterly Cash Dividend
The Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.70 per share, which will be payable on April 6, 2022 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 22, 2022. 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.

Business Outlook
The business outlook for the fiscal third quarter 2022 is based on our current assumptions and expectations; actual results may differ materially, as a result of, among other things, the important factors discussed in the Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements section of this release.

The Company is providing the following guidance for its fiscal third quarter 2022:

• Revenue of $2.9 billion, plus or minus $150 million
• Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $2.00, plus or minus $0.20

Guidance regarding non-GAAP diluted EPS excludes known charges related to amortization of acquired intangible assets of $0.02 per share and estimated share-based compensation expenses of $0.17 per share.

We have not reconciled our non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance for fiscal third quarter 2022 to the most directly comparable GAAP measure because material items that may impact these measures are out of our control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, including, but not limited to, accelerated depreciation, impairment and other charges related to cost saving efforts, restructuring charges, losses and costs recognized on the modification or early redemption and repurchase of debt, strategic investment gains, losses or impairment recognized, income tax adjustments on these measures, and other charges or benefits that may arise. The amounts of these measures are not currently available but may be material to future results. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance for fiscal third quarter 2022 to the corresponding GAAP measures is not available without unreasonable effort. A reconciliation of our historical non-GAAP financial measures to their nearest GAAP equivalent is contained in this release.