AI Business & Industry

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Western Digital Q3 Revenue Up 45% on AI Storage Demand

   Western Digital reported $3.3B in Q3 2026 revenue, a 45.47% increase from the same quarter last year. Social media chatter reflects investor optimism about the company's rebound alongside peers, driven by expectations for increased enterprise demand in AI-driven storage solutions. The revenue jump signals strong momentum in the memory and storage sector amid the broader AI expansion. However, investors note that sustained gains depend on securing fresh hyperscale contracts, and some caution against quick reversals if that demand does not materialize.

   Insider trading activity shows 125 transactions in the past 6 months, all sales (0 purchases), with Chief Executive Officer Irving Tan selling 40,000 shares for an estimated $13,345,695. On the institutional side, 814 investors added shares in their most recent quarter, while 586 decreased positions; analyst price targets range from $500.0 to $900.0, with a median of $575.0.

2. 2

   Analog Devices Q3 2026 earnings due August 19—can results match AI boom expectations?

   Analog Devices will release third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on August 19, 2026, with management hosting a conference call. The company has guided for about US$3.9 billion（約6200億円） in revenue and roughly 39 percent operating margin, alongside anticipated double-digit EPS growth. Analysts expect a very large year-on-year earnings increase driven by strength in industrial, data center, and automotive demand. These results will test whether ADI's analog and mixed-signal chips remain central to AI, automation, and electrification trends—and whether the company can sustain its high-margin, high-cash-flow profile that supports current investor optimism.

   The biggest risk is a cyclical demand or inventory correction that could unsettle the earnings trajectory. Some analysts were already modeling ADI's earnings to reach about US$8.5 billion（約1.4兆円） by 2029, so the August results will signal whether that industrial and AI power thesis holds or whether forecasts are exposed to competitive pressure and cyclical headwinds.

3. 3

   Corning's optical fiber dominates AI data center boom with $6B Meta deal

   Corning's stock surged 7.32% on February 20, 2026, to $139.51, driven by demand for its optical communications components from hyperscalers investing heavily in AI infrastructure. The company reported Q4 2025 adjusted EPS of $0.72 (beating consensus of $0.70), with optical communications revenue up 24.3% year-over-year; the segment generated $6.3 billion（約1兆円） in full-year 2025 revenue, up 35% from 2024. Corning signed a multi-year agreement with Meta valued at up to $6 billion（約9600億円） through 2030 to supply cabling and optical fiber for AI data centers, while hyperscalers (Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle) are collectively committing $660 billion（約110兆円） to $690 billion（約110兆円） to capital expenditure in 2026—nearly double 2025 levels. Optical fiber, long overlooked, is now recognized as essential infrastructure for AI compute.

   Corning raised its "Springboard" growth plan, now expecting $6.5 billion（約1兆円） in incremental annualized sales by end of 2026 (up from $6 billion（約9600億円） guidance) and $11 billion（約1.8兆円） by end of 2028 (up from $8 billion（約1.3兆円）). The stock trades at a P/E ratio of 75.17, well above the industry average; UBS recently raised its price target to $160.00, but the current price of $139.51 already exceeds most analyst targets.

4. 4

   Verizon Beats Q2, AI Infrastructure Deals Eye Billions

   Verizon reported second-quarter earnings of $1.30 per share (adjusted), surpassing analyst expectations, and posted mobility and broadband service revenue of approximately $23.4 billion（約3.7兆円）, well above the $19.5 billion（約3.1兆円） estimate. The company added 184,000 postpaid phone customers and raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to between $4.99 and $5.04 per share. CEO Dan Schulman, who became CEO in late 2025, introduced a simplified wireless plan in June and launched a loyalty rewards program. Verizon's beat signals early success in Schulman's turnaround—the company is reversing years of stagnant growth and market-share losses, particularly against T-Mobile, by simplifying offerings and winning new accounts including younger customers and people seeking one- or two-line plans. More strategically, Verizon is positioning itself in the AI infrastructure boom: it signed a $1 billion（約1600億円） agreement with Alphabet to provide dark fiber linking Google data centers, and Schulman expects to announce additional agreements by year-end that could collectively generate multiple billions of dollars in revenue over the next several years.

   Verizon expects positive new-account growth in the third quarter, and Schulman forecasts the second half of 2026 to be stronger than the first half, with 2027 stronger still. Verizon's board extended Schulman's contract through the end of 2028. The company's AI infrastructure deals are framed as long-duration, high-quality revenue streams that could materially reshape earnings in coming years.

5. 5

   Amphenol Q1 Sales Hit $7.6B, Up 33% YoY; Shares Rise 17% on Institutional Buying

   Amphenol reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 record sales of $7.6 billion（約1.2兆円） (33% year-over-year gain), adjusted diluted per-share earnings of $1.06 (68% rise), and nearly $9.5 billion（約1.5兆円） in orders (up 78%). The stock is up 17% so far this year, driven by heavy institutional buying tracked via unusual volume signals. The company, which designs and manufactures electrical, electronic, and fiber optic connectors, interconnect systems, and sensors, has posted a 3-year sales growth rate of +24.1% and a 3-year EPS growth rate of +33.3%, with EPS estimated to rise +19.3% this year. Strong institutional demand alongside these fundamentals suggest the stock remains attractive to large investors.

   Amphenol reports earnings again on July 29. MoneyFlows data shows eight outlier inflow signals over the past year and 47 such signals since 2005, with the stock up 6,875% since its first appearance on the rare Outlier 20 report.

6. 6

   Amex taps AI to speed product work, sidesteps job-cut talk

   American Express CEO Steve Squeri said on Friday's earnings call that AI is helping the company process its backlog of technology products faster and boosting efficiency, though he cautioned that deeper impacts on workflows and revenue will arrive later. Amex reported Q2 net income of $3.11 billion（約5000億円） (up from $2.88 billion（約4600億円） a year ago), revenue of $19.64 billion（約3.1兆円） (up from $17.8 billion（約2.8兆円）), and billed business of $445.8 billion（約71兆円） (up from $416.3 billion（約67兆円）). Squeri framed AI as accelerating work rather than replacing workers—Amex reported a lack of acceleration in customer service hiring even as business volume rose, with workforce reductions expected only through attrition over time. The approach contrasts with some fintech rivals that have directly tied AI growth to layoffs, and signals how large financial institutions are navigating public concerns about job displacement while investing in the technology.

   Amex is backing the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open standard launched in late 2025 alongside Google, PayPal and more than 60 other companies, and plans to release more than a half-dozen business-focused AI-powered products over the next year—a bet that agentic AI will power the next phase of financial services.