Aberdeen Group plc Has $29.33 Million Stake in Western Digital Corporation $WDC

Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) by 6.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 244,260 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,343 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $29,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Western Digital by 124.5% in the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Western Digital by 4,070.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 417 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 86.9% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 441 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Western Digital during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Western Digital news, Director Matthew E. Massengill sold 36,926 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Roxanne Oulman sold 1,800 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $596,524.46. This represents a 31.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 70,522 shares of company stock worth $17,661,708 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Western Digital Stock Performance

Shares of Western Digital stock opened at $284.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $221.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.08. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $96.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.80. Western Digital Corporation has a 52 week low of $28.83 and a 52 week high of $307.50.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $2.13 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.93 billion. Western Digital had a return on equity of 41.53% and a net margin of 35.52%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current year.

Western Digital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 5th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio is 5.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $240.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $310.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $250.00 price objective on Western Digital in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Western Digital in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Digital currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.58.

Western Digital News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI customers have bought essentially all WD hard-drive capacity for 2026, creating immediate revenue visibility, stronger utilization and pricing leverage for HDDs. This is the primary driver behind the stock strength. AI Demand Clears Out Western Digital’s Hard Drive Supply for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: analysts and market outlets report the “sold out” message has already pushed the stock higher as investors price in stronger FY26 revenue and margin tailwinds from AI hyperscalers. Western Digital Stock Jumps on Huge AI Hard Drive Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple tech outlets note the shortage extends across HDD and enterprise SSD supply, implying pricing power and higher ASPs for storage products. That supports revenue/margin upside. Thanks to AI, WD and Seagate SSDs are about to get much more expensive
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side sentiment is warming — Cantor Fitzgerald and Goldman Sachs raised WDC price targets, reinforcing the bullish thesis and supporting further multiple expansion. Cantor Fitzgerald and Goldman Sachs lift Western Digital (WDC) price targets
• Positive Sentiment: Company actions: WDC expanded buybacks (announced previously), supporting shareholder returns and signaling confidence in free cash flow as AI demand lifts sales. That is a constructive catalyst for the stock. Is Western Digital’s $4B Buyback Plan a Smart Move or a Risk?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks added WDC to their Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, reflecting momentum but not changing fundamentals by itself. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for February 17th
• Neutral Sentiment: WDC plans to sell some Sandisk shares to bolster its balance sheet and reduce debt; that will raise cash and lower leverage but reduces its stake in an asset — a balance-sheet move investors should watch for execution and timing. Sandisk’s stock falls as Western Digital plans to sell shares. What investors need to know.
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate governance/relations: WDC CFO Kris Sennesael joined the board of MaxLinear — a non-core development that may broaden industry relationships but has limited direct impact on WDC’s financials. MaxLinear Adds Western Digital CFO Kris Sennesael to Board
• Negative Sentiment: Risks: analysts and some commentaries warn buybacks and heavier capital returns come as WDC remains cyclical and indebted; if AI demand cools, capacity-led cycles could reverse margins quickly. Investors should weigh buyback upside against cyclicality and leverage risk. Is Western Digital’s $4B Buyback Plan a Smart Move or a Risk?

Western Digital Company 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.