Key points
- Michael Pokorny, chief accounting officer, offloaded approximately $3.5 million in stock; Director Necip Sainer sold for approximately $870,300 on May 8.
- SNDK shares are up 465% throughout 2026, driven by strong financial performance and rising demand for NAND flash storage AI infrastructure.
- The third quarter of 2026 saw revenues rise 251% compared to the same period last year, with adjusted EPS reaching $23.41.
- The memory maker is moving toward long-term supply contracts, ensuring guaranteed revenue streams from major broadband cloud providers.
- Executives expect fourth-quarter revenue of about $8 billion along with an 80% gross profit margin.
Two top Sandisk executives unloaded a total of $4.4 million worth of company stock recently, cashing in on what has become one of the most dramatic stock rallies of 2026.
Michael Pokorny, the company’s chief accounting officer, divested 2,446 shares last Tuesday at $1,426.18 per share, generating proceeds of about $3.5 million. Following this transaction, Pokorny retains direct ownership of 22,375 shares, currently worth approximately $31 million using Thursday’s closing price of $1,382.72.
Meanwhile, board member Necip Sayner disposed of 579 shares on May 8 at an average selling price of $1,503.11, for total proceeds of $870,300. After the sale, Sayner retains ownership of 2,900 shares worth about $4 million.
SanDisk stock It is up an exceptional 465% through 2026, and nearly 3,640% since its spin-off from Western Digital which was completed in February 2025 at an IPO price of $38.50. Shares are currently hovering around the $1,400 level.
In comparison, the Nasdaq 100 advanced just 15% over the same time frame, underscoring the magnitude of SanDisk’s outperformance.
The driving forces of explosive growth
The primary catalyst behind this remarkable rise is NAND flash memory technology. SanDisk storage solutions have become essential components of AI-focused data centers, as requirements for high-capacity, non-volatile memory grow as hyperscale operators rapidly expand their compute infrastructure.
Tech giants including Amazon, MicrosoftAlphabet and Meta have collectively committed nearly $700 billion to infrastructure investment in 2026. SanDisk has positioned itself as a direct beneficiary of this unprecedented deployment of capital.
The company’s financial results for the third quarter of 2026 reflected this overwhelming demand. Revenue rose 97% from the previous quarter and jumped 251% year over year. Adjusted EPS came to $23.41, a significant increase from $5.15 in the prior-year quarter.
Revenue generated from data center customers specifically rose 233% during the quarter. CEO David Goeckeler has described large-scale operators as “higher value customers,” representing a strategic evolution from the company’s diverse and historically fragmented customer portfolio.
Additionally, industry-wide memory supply constraints have pushed prices higher, creating a favorable pricing environment that complements strong volume expansion.
Strategic shift in business approach
Sandisk has shifted from transactional spot market sales to structured, multi-year supply commitments. The company concluded three such agreements during the third quarter, in addition to two additional contracts already concluded in the fourth quarter. This framework ensures predictable revenue for Sandisk while ensuring critical storage capacity for large customers.
Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, company leadership expects revenue of approximately $8 billion — representing a 321% increase over the prior year — along with a gross margin of 80%, modestly exceeding the 78.4% achieved in the third quarter.
Industry competitors have seen similarly strong performances this year. Western DigitalBoth Seagate and Micron saw their stock prices rise more than 100% during 2026.
At current valuations, Sandisk trades at about 16x trailing-twelve-month revenue, up from about 4.5x at the start of the year. This expanded valuation multiple increases the stock’s exposure to any disappointing developments, whether it’s company-specific execution issues or macro-wide headwinds.
These latest insider transactions represent the latest sales disclosed by the SEC from Sandisk leadership as the stock continues to trade near record levels.
