Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) insider Cynthia Tregillis sold 235 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $112,158.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 113,928 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,374,416.56. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Western Digital Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ WDC opened at $435.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.98 and a beta of 2.14. Western Digital Corporation has a 1-year low of $76.70 and a 1-year high of $799.87. The business's fifty day moving average price is $547.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $435.48.
Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The data storage provider reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.25. Western Digital had a net margin of 72.95% and a return on equity of 48.15%. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 43.8% on a year-over-year basis. Western Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.850-4.150 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Western Digital Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Western Digital Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Western Digital's dividend payout ratio is 2.48%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WDC. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Western Digital from $575.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $630.00 target price on Western Digital in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Western Digital from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Melius Research set a $1,050.00 price target on Western Digital and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $534.56.
View Our Latest Research Report on Western Digital
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Western Digital
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WDC. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Digital during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Western Digital during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC boosted its stake in Western Digital by 45.5% during the second quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC now owns 80 shares of the data storage provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Stories Impacting Western Digital
Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Western Digital’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $3.56 per share, revenue of $3.75 billion and year-over-year revenue growth of approximately 44%. Analysts say accelerating AI and cloud-storage demand, improving margins and the planned ramp of 40TB drives and HAMR technology support the company’s fiscal 2027 outlook. WDC's Strong Q4 Raises the Stakes for Its Fiscal 2027 Product Ramp
- Positive Sentiment: Some commentary continues to view WDC as attractively positioned for growth because AI data centers require increasing storage capacity. However, the bullish case depends on successful product execution and sustained cloud spending. Western Digital: Time To Jump In Before Beast Mode Arrives Again
- Neutral Sentiment: Western Digital will participate in Citi’s 2026 Global TMT Conference on September 9. Management’s presentation could provide additional commentary on demand, pricing and the fiscal 2027 product ramp, but the announcement itself contains no new financial guidance. WD to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conference
- Neutral Sentiment: Director Cynthia L. Tregillis sold a combined 919 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sales represent a small reduction in her holdings and are less significant as a bearish signal because they were scheduled in advance. SEC insider transaction filing
- Negative Sentiment: Investors have rotated out of high-performing AI-chip and memory names ahead of Nvidia’s earnings report, weighing on WDC along with Micron and Seagate even though underlying storage demand remains firm. Micron, Seagate, Western Digital, Semtech, and Penguin Solutions Shares Are Falling
- Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple may source memory chips from Chinese suppliers have intensified concerns about competition and future pricing across the memory industry. WDC’s premium valuation, concentration in cloud customers and the need to execute its product ramp add to investor caution. Memory Stocks Slide on Report Apple May Source Chinese Chips
About Western Digital
(
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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