Key Points
- Insider sale: Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 130 WDC shares on Feb. 23 at an average price of $283.83 (total ≈ $36,898) and still holds 135,067 shares (a 0.10% ownership decrease); filings show she sold ~438 shares across Feb. 23–24, small relative to her stake but noted by the market.
- Strong quarterly results and dividend: Western Digital beat estimates with $2.13 EPS (vs. $1.93 est.) and $3.02B revenue (up 25.2% YoY), and announced a $0.125 quarterly dividend (annualized $0.50, yield ~0.2%, ex-dividend Mar. 5).
- Market/analyst backdrop: WDC shares opened near $270.57 (down ~3.5%), the stock has a $91.7B market cap and a consensus analyst target of about $265.58 with mostly Buy ratings, though planned SanDisk stake sales raise near-term dilution/supply concerns.
Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) insider Cynthia Tregillis sold 130 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.83, for a total value of $36,897.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 135,067 shares in the company, valued at $38,336,066.61. This represents a 0.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Western Digital Stock Down 3.5%
NASDAQ WDC opened at $270.57 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $91.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.80. Western Digital Corporation has a one year low of $28.83 and a one year high of $309.90.
Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. Western Digital had a net margin of 35.52% and a return on equity of 41.53%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Western Digital Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. Western Digital's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.02%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Loop Capital increased their price target on Western Digital to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $250.00 target price on Western Digital in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Argus set a $300.00 price target on Western Digital in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $115.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $240.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $265.58.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WDC
Western Digital News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:
- Positive Sentiment: WDC has massively outperformed the market this year and over the past 12 months, which has drawn analyst attention and bullish coverage — reinforcing confidence in continued upside tied to AI/data-center demand. TipRanks: Western Digital Has Massively Outpaced S&P 500
- Positive Sentiment: Several analyst write-ups and rankings continue to list WDC as a buy and include it among AI/data-center infrastructure winners, supporting demand expectations and longer-term investor conviction. Zacks: Analysts See WDC as a Buy
- Neutral Sentiment: Media pieces revisiting last year’s SanDisk split note it allowed clearer market appraisal of WDC’s AI-focused HDD business — a longer-term positive but not an immediate catalyst. MarketWatch: Why SanDisk’s Split Has Been a Win
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparisons of WDC vs. peers (e.g., Teradata) and inclusion on AI-infrastructure lists underline the company’s strategic positioning; useful context but not an immediate price driver. Zacks: WDC vs. TDC
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that Western Digital is exiting most of its remaining SanDisk stake via a multibillion-dollar secondary offering / sale raised concerns about increased share supply and focus on balance-sheet cleanup rather than buybacks — a likely near-term headwind for the stock. Yahoo Finance: Western Digital Doubles Down On AI Data Centers And Cleaner Balance Sheet
- Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting WDC is selling its SanDisk stake prompted further selling pressure and investor questions about dilution/liquidity timing. Barchart: Western Digital Is Selling SanDisk Stock
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sales: Cynthia L. Tregillis sold small blocks of WDC shares on Feb. 23–24 (total ~438 shares) disclosed via SEC filings — not a large position relative to holdings but these filings can amplify negative sentiment on a down day. SEC Filing: Insider Sales (Cynthia L. Tregillis)
Institutional Trading of Western Digital
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Western Digital by 124.5% during the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the data storage provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Western Digital by 4,070.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 417 shares of the data storage provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 86.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 441 shares of the data storage provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Digital by 551.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 241 shares of the data storage provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Western Digital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Western Digital Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Western Digital Corporation is a global data storage company that designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of storage devices and systems for personal, enterprise and cloud applications. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company develops hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), NAND flash components and finished storage products used in PCs, external storage, servers, network-attached storage (NAS) and embedded systems.
Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial markets, including internal and external HDDs and SSDs, removable flash memory products and storage platforms for data center and enterprise environments.
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