Wealthfront Advisers LLC Increases Stock Position in Western Digital Corporation $WDC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) by 62.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,522 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,200 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $3,184,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. WCM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Western Digital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $791,317,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Western Digital during the 2nd quarter valued at $220,680,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 1,926.3% in the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,061,134 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $195,882,000 after acquiring an additional 2,910,062 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 175.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,232,071 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $78,347,000 after acquiring an additional 784,645 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Western Digital by 338.3% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 936,313 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $59,915,000 after acquiring an additional 722,702 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Digital Price Performance

Shares of Western Digital stock opened at $281.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $95.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $216.93 and a 200 day moving average of $151.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Western Digital Corporation has a 12 month low of $28.83 and a 12 month high of $307.50.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.20. Western Digital had a net margin of 35.52% and a return on equity of 41.53%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.77 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Digital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid 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 (DPR) is presently 5.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on WDC shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Western Digital from $200.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Western Digital from $260.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Western Digital from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays raised their target price on Western Digital from $240.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, New Street Research set a $250.00 target price on Western Digital in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.58.

Western Digital News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market recognition of WDC’s rally — coverage highlights WDC as the second-best performer in the S&P 500 for 2026 so far, underscoring momentum and investor interest in the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish investment thesis on AI storage upside — deep-dive pieces argue WDC is capturing enormous AI-driven demand, framing the recent gains as part of a multi-year opportunity. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum — WDC is appearing on Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) lists and their best-growth lists, which can attract buy-side flows and momentum investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media narratives around AI demand and product relevance — multiple outlets profile WDC as a critical supplier in the AI megatrend, reinforcing the growth story. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor access / upcoming presentation — WDC will present at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference on March 3; the webcast gives management a chance to update investors and could influence guidance/expectations. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and risk warnings after a massive rally — analysts note a ~300%+ one-year gain and ask whether risks (cyclical demand, supply, buyback sustainability, valuation) are building, which can prompt profit-taking and increased short-term volatility. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Roxanne Oulman sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.42, for a total transaction of $277,956.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,524.46. This trade represents a 31.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Matthew E. Massengill sold 36,926 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.43, for a total value of $9,616,638.18. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 70,522 shares of company stock valued at $17,661,708. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Western Digital Profile

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.