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Technology Stocks : Western Digital (WDC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Don Pauley who wrote (9782)8/30/1998 12:19:00 AM
From: Carey Thompson  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 11057
 
I can help with a couple of your excellent questions

1) the money in the cash account is the proceeds from a zero coupon bond WDC floated earlier this year.

Message 3434313

To: Carey Thompson (8764 )
From: Carey Thompson Saturday, Feb 14 1998 3:15PM ET
Reply # of 9782

Just found out the new bonds are convertible to stock. The details
follow. Forgive me if this has already been published on this thread.

Thursday February 12, 4:39 pm Eastern Time

Company Press Release
SOURCE: Western Digital Corporation
Western Digital Prices Offering of Convertible Subordinated Debentures

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Digital Corporation
(NYSE: WDC - news) announced today the pricing of its zero coupon
convertible subordinated debentures due 2018, to be sold in a private
offering to certain qualified institutional investors. The debentures, priced with a yield to maturity of 5 1/4% and a 25% conversion premium, will result in gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $400 million (excluding the proceeds of any exercise of the over-allotment option). The size of the offering was increased from the previously announced $275 million in response to demand. The offering is expected to close on February 18, 1998.

The Company stated that it intends to use the net proceeds of the
offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital.

The offered securities will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities law or available
exemptions from such registration requirements. Sale of the debentures is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance that any debentures will be sold or that the net proceeds of any sale will not be lower than anticipated.

SOURCE: Western Digital Corporation
---------------------------------------------------------------------
More Quotes and News:Western Digital Corp (NYSE:WDC - news)Related News Categories: computer hardware, computer peripheral, computers
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright c 1998 PRNewswire.


2) the earnings comparision between Seagate, Quantum, WDC, and the other disk drive companies have been comparision of losses all year.
Here I think we must look at the non-cash charges for clues to what's happening. I get the earnings specific from the press releases over on Yahoo.

3) the low-cost producer in the DD industry changes rapidly. I may be wrong but, I think the Quantum 6.0 gig big foot has the honor. the WDC Caviar series held the honor at a time. The Seagate and Conner drives have been winners over the years. I don't think Maxtor has been a low-cost leader recently. In the innovative and competitive DD industry, the low-cost producer changes alot.

Good luck investing

Carey Thompson





To: Don Pauley who wrote (9782)8/30/1998 6:35:00 AM
From: Stitch  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 11057
 
Don;

<<Why are they losing more every quarter than say Seagate. >>

There are likely several answers to this one but one reason IMO is that Seagate has held a strong position in the high-end, enterprise, segment of the business where margins are better. Estimates by IDC have Seagate retaining 41% of this segment in 1998 (though they have lost share to IBM,Fujitsu, and WD compared to last year) while WD will move from 4% in 1997 to 7% in 1998. Keep in mind that the relationship with IBM does not include this drive market segment where they (WDC and IBM) have apparently decided to slug it out along with all the others.

Another factor is that the last few quarters of financials have included the cost of migrating to MR heads whereas Seagate had done that some time ago.

Just my 2 cents.

Best,
Stitch

Best,
Stitch



To: Don Pauley who wrote (9782)9/1/1998 1:35:00 PM
From: Carey Thompson  Respond to of 11057
 
Hey, I rounded the Cash account up, for the specifics look in the Assets half of this balance sheet.

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

ASSETS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
JUNE 28, JUNE 27,
1997 1998
---------- ----------
<S> <C> <C>
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents................................. $ 208,276 459,830
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts
of $11,706 in 1997 and $15,926 in 1998................. 545,552 369,013
Inventories (Note 2)...................................... 224,474 186,516
Prepaid expenses and other assets (Note 5)................ 39,593 36,763
---------- ----------
Total current assets.............................. 1,017,895 1,052,122
Property and equipment at cost, net (Note 2).............. 247,895 346,987
Intangible and other assets, net.......................... 41,332 43,579
---------- ----------
Total assets...................................... $1,307,122 $1,442,688
========== ==========

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable.......................................... $ 417,984 330,130
Accrued compensation...................................... 59,227 23,697
Accrued expenses.......................................... 176,494 234,752
---------- ----------
Total current liabilities......................... 653,705 588,579
Long-term debt (Note 3)................................... -- 519,188
Deferred income taxes (Note 5)............................ 33,430 17,163
Commitments and contingent liabilities (Note 4)
Shareholders' equity (Note 6):
Preferred stock, $.01 par value; Authorized -- 5,000
shares; Outstanding -- None............................
Common stock, $.01 par value; Authorized -- 225,000
shares; Outstanding -- 101,332 shares in 1997 and
1998................................................... 1,013 1,013
Additional paid-in capital................................ 356,654 326,244
Retained earnings......................................... 488,066 197,849
Treasury stock-common shares at cost; 15,436 shares in
1997 and 13,039 shares in 1998......................... (225,746) (207,348)
---------- ----------
Total shareholders' equity........................ 619,987 317,758
---------- ----------
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity........ $1,307,122 $1,442,688
========== ==========