WD

Western Digital Corporation stock research

Sep 29, 2023

FY2024 Q1

Western Digital (WDC) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Sep 29, 2023

For the quarter ended September 29, 2023, gross profit was positive while cost of revenue exceeded revenue, resulting in a moderate gross margin. The relationship among revenue, gross profit, cost of revenue, and gross margin shows that cost of revenue was the dominant factor in determining profitability.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Sep 29, 2023 · FY2024 Q1

For the quarter ended September 29, 2023, gross profit was positive while cost of revenue exceeded revenue, resulting in a moderate gross margin. The relationship among revenue, gross profit, cost of revenue, and gross margin shows that cost of revenue was the dominant factor in determining profitability.

  • The strongest observable margin driver in the current quarter is the relative level of cost of revenue compared to revenue, which directly determines gross profit and gross margin. Changes in these components compared to prior periods are the key to understanding margin movement.
  • Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was higher, cost of revenue was lower, and gross profit improved from negative to positive, leading to a higher gross margin. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was lower while cost of revenue was similar, resulting in a lower gross profit and a lower gross margin.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

20.4%

Gross profit

$244.0M

Revenue

$1.2B

Cost of revenue

$2.7B

Quarter-over-quarter change

+8.5 pts

Year-over-year change

-5.8 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Mar 31, 2023$2.8B$286.0M$2.5B10.2%
Jun 30, 2023-$3.4B-$404.0M-$3.0B11.9%
Sep 29, 2023$1.2B$244.0M$2.7B20.4%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Jun 30, 2023

+8.5 pts

Year-over-year change

Sep 30, 2022

-5.8 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver in the current quarter is the relative level of cost of revenue compared to revenue, which directly determines gross profit and gross margin. Changes in these components compared to prior periods are the key to understanding margin movement.

Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was higher, cost of revenue was lower, and gross profit improved from negative to positive, leading to a higher gross margin. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was lower while cost of revenue was similar, resulting in a lower gross profit and a lower gross margin.

Monitor the relationship between revenue and cost of revenue in upcoming quarters, as cost of revenue remained elevated relative to revenue in the current quarter.

WDC Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Sep 29, 2023