Western Digital Corporation (WDC) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-one have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $591.04.

WDC has been the subject of several research reports. Summit Insights cut shares of Western Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on shares of Western Digital from $660.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Western Digital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Western Digital from $540.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Western Digital from $900.00 to $625.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 23rd.

Western Digital Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of WDC opened at $311.21 on Friday. Western Digital has a 52-week low of $132.43 and a 52-week high of $799.87. The stock has a market cap of $116.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 2.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $394.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $420.18.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The data storage provider reported $4.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $4.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.14 billion. Western Digital had a net margin of 69.20% and a return on equity of 55.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Western Digital will post 23.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Digital Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Investors of record on Friday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $0.1750 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 4th. This is a positive change from Western Digital’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.33%.

Trending Headlines about Western Digital

These are some of the WDC headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Western Digital guided for about $5.1 billion in quarterly revenue and gross margins as high as 61%. The company’s strong outlook helped lift AI- and storage-related shares in the prior session. Western Digital Stocks Climb as AI Storage Names Rebound
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst recommendations average a Buy for WDC, though the article cautions that brokerage ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a stand-alone signal. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Western Digital
• Negative Sentiment: Reported open-market insider transactions over the past six months were sales, with no purchases noted. That may add to caution amid the stock’s recent volatility, although insider sales alone do not establish a bearish outlook. Why Western Digital Stock Is Up Today

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Western Digital news, insider Cynthia Tregillis sold 1,007 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.36, for a total value of $481,708.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 112,155 shares in the company, valued at $53,650,465.80. This represents a 0.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Vidyadhara Gubbi sold 1,795 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.87, for a total value of $825,466.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 80,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,052,185.77. This trade represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 5,436 shares of company stock worth $2,440,664 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Digital

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Western Digital during the second quarter worth about $1,602,927,000. Anther Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $901,601,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $885,565,000. Value Aligned Research Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $350,403,000. Finally, Trivest Advisors Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $627,606,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) develops and supplies hard disk drives (HDDs) and related data-storage products. Its drives serve data centers and cloud providers, as well as businesses and consumers who need storage for computers, network-attached storage systems, surveillance and other applications. Its product brands include WD and Ultrastar. Founded in 1970, the company began as an electronics and semiconductor business before expanding into data storage. In February 2025, Western Digital completed the separation of its flash-memory business into the independently traded SanDisk Corporation, leaving Western Digital focused on HDDs.