AI is the trade of the year and it’s still very much alive.
Owning top tier names is key for investors – it’s the year of the stock picker. And right now, there is a storage shortage that is pushing up prices. So, here are three top AI storage stocks to own in 2026 and beyond.
Hyperscaler earnings calls reflect the bottlenecks in memory and storage right now. As such, we should see core storage suppliers benefit massively.
The first storage stock worth examining is SanDisk (SNDK), the $305 market capitalization company focused on NAND flash storage. This company has gained 4,100% in a year!
When you look at the per-share earnings picture, it’s clear why. EPS this year is estimated to hit $65.50. But look at the 2028 estimate:
An EPS jump to $204.83 in two years is astounding. And institutions were on it early. Look at the position building that took place when shares were around $50:
Given the macro situation and SanDisk’s business, there’s no reason to think this run couldn’t go on for a while.
The next storage stock to examine is Seagate (STX), which makes solid-state storage that’s proving to be critical infrastructure for hyperscalers’ AI efforts. Seagate is a $250 billion market cap firm that’s gained 712% in the last year.
And based on earnings surprises, it’s arguable the growth should be higher. Look at the last four quarters of earnings surprises:
Given the surprises, it’s clear Seagate has baffled analysts all year.
MoneyFlows data reflected huge institutional interest back when shares were around $150. Steady buying over a year with some outlier bursts throughout have made shares fly:
So, while analysts may have missed on Seagate, institutions have been buying up shares.
Now let’s check out a third AI storage stock garnering huge interest – Western Digital (WDC). The $286 billion market cap maker of hard disk drives has gained 1,103% over the last year.
As data centers get built, storage is at a premium. That’s the case now and will be for a while. You can see it in Western Digital’s sales and profits.
Sales are set to hit $12.9 billion this year with net income of $3.8 billion. In two years, sales will nearly double to $23.1 billion with net income of over $10 billion:
Of course, this is a tailwind for shares. But as our data shows, there’s been a Big Money appetite for shares since last June:
From $58 to $712 in a year. That is the path to glory.
When supply and demand get out of whack, opportunities arise. That’s what’s happening now with storage and the AI push.
Institutions and the money flows have shown the way. This year remains a fantastic stock picking environment.
If you are a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) or a serious investor, take your investing to the next level and follow our free weekly MoneyFlows insights.
Disclosure: at the time of publication, the author holds no positions in SNDK, STX, or WDC.
Lucas is a well-versed equity investor and educator. He currently is co-founder of research and analytics firm, MAPsignals.com, which focuses on finding outlier stocks by following the Big Money.