Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Western Digital Corporation $WDC

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,282,393 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 243,177 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of Western Digital worth $5,196,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WDC. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Western Digital by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,281 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 122,115 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $14,661,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Western Digital by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 57,406 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $6,892,000 after acquiring an additional 2,709 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 6.2% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 244,260 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $29,326,000 after purchasing an additional 14,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Western Digital in the third quarter valued at $7,827,000. 92.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Western Digital

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 Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WDC opened at $284.11 on Wednesday. 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. The company 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. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $221.45 and its 200 day moving average is $155.08.

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

Western Digital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 5.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 6,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.49, for a total value of $1,833,922.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 136,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,932,163.62. This represents a 4.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Roxanne Oulman sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.42, for a total transaction of $277,956.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,863 shares in the company, valued at $596,524.46. This represents a 31.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 70,522 shares of company stock worth $17,661,708 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WDC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Western Digital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Western Digital to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Benchmark increased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Western Digital from $94.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Western Digital in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Western Digital has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.58.

About Western Digital

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.