Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) insider Cynthia Tregillis sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $306,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 108,928 shares in the company, valued at $41,392,640. The trade was a 0.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Western Digital Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:WDC opened at $354.19 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $435.48 and its 200 day moving average is $480.46. The company has a market cap of $132.58 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 2.11. Western Digital Corporation has a 1 year low of $121.71 and a 1 year high of $799.87.
Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The data storage provider reported $4.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.11 by $0.53. Western Digital had a return on equity of 48.15% and a net margin of 72.95%. The business had revenue of $4.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. The business's revenue was up 55.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Western Digital Corporation will post 19.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Western Digital Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.1750 per share. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. This is a boost from Western Digital's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. Western Digital's payout ratio is presently 2.48%.
Trending Headlines about Western Digital
Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Western Digital reported fiscal Q1 2027 adjusted earnings of $4.64 per share, above the roughly $4.09–$4.11 consensus, while revenue reached $4.38 billion, exceeding expectations of approximately $4.14 billion. Revenue increased 55% year over year, supported by strong data-center storage demand and improved pricing. Western Digital Q1 earnings and revenues beat estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Management issued strong fiscal Q2 guidance, forecasting revenue of about $5.1 billion and adjusted EPS of $5.80, plus or minus $0.20. Gross margins are expected to approach 60%, reinforcing the case that tight hard-drive supply and higher-capacity products are supporting pricing power. Western Digital surprises with strong results
- Positive Sentiment: Western Digital generated approximately $1.38 billion in free cash flow and raised its quarterly dividend by 17% to $0.175 per share. The results and long-term AI and cloud storage demand provide fundamental support for the stock, although the market has recently treated WDC like a semiconductor and memory company. Western Digital Q1 revenue climbs 55 percent
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, with Bank of America raising its price target to $800 before the report. However, expectations are high after WDC’s substantial prior rally, making a strong headline beat insufficient if investors remain concerned about valuation or future growth.
- Negative Sentiment: The initial positive reaction faded as selling spread across AI, memory and storage stocks. Reports also highlighted increased inventory, while investors remain concerned about hyperscaler capital spending, potential supply growth, technology transitions such as HAMR, and whether current demand can persist.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is an additional sentiment overhang: Cynthia Tregillis sold 807 shares for approximately $306,660 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was small relative to her remaining holdings and does not necessarily signal a change in business outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts recently commented on WDC shares. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Western Digital from $660.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho set a $590.00 price objective on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $900.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Western Digital from $676.00 to $643.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Western Digital from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $609.56.
Get Our Latest Report on WDC
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Western Digital in the second quarter worth $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new position in Western Digital in the second quarter worth $31,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new position in Western Digital in the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Gables Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Western Digital in the second quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company's stock.
About Western Digital
(
Get Free Report)
Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is a data storage technology company that develops and manufactures hard disk drives (HDDs) and related storage solutions. Its products are used in data centers, cloud infrastructure, enterprise systems, personal computers, gaming platforms and external storage devices.
The company offers HDD-based products for business and consumer applications, including high-capacity drives designed for hyperscale and cloud data centers, enterprise storage environments, network-attached storage systems and personal computing.
Further Reading
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