Western Digital Corporation $WDC Stock Acquired by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. boosted its stake in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) by 1,047.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,934 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,504 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $2,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Western Digital by 71.4% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 230,578 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $147,275,000 after acquiring an additional 96,078 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $19,694,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,599,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the 2nd quarter valued at about $14,466,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,307,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Western Digital News Summary

Here’s some of the latest news about WDC:

• Positive Sentiment: Western Digital guided for about $5.1 billion in quarterly revenue and gross margins as high as 61%. The company’s strong outlook helped lift AI- and storage-related shares in the prior session. Western Digital Stocks Climb as AI Storage Names Rebound
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst recommendations average a Buy for WDC, though the article cautions that brokerage ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be treated as a stand-alone signal. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Western Digital
• Negative Sentiment: Reported open-market insider transactions over the past six months were sales, with no purchases noted. That may add to caution amid the stock’s recent volatility, although insider sales alone do not establish a bearish outlook. Why Western Digital Stock Is Up Today

Insider Activity at Western Digital

In related news, insider Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 1,007 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.36, for a total transaction of $481,708.52. Following the transaction, the insider owned 112,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,650,465.80. This trade represents a 0.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Vidyadhara K. Gubbi sold 1,795 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.87, for a total transaction of $825,466.65. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 80,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,052,185.77. This represents a 2.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 5,436 shares of company stock worth $2,440,664 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WDC shares. Mizuho set a $490.00 price objective on Western Digital in a report on Friday, October 23rd. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Western Digital from $540.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $900.00 target price on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $540.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price target on shares of Western Digital from $800.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.04.

Western Digital Trading Down 0.7%

WDC opened at $311.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 2.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $394.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $420.18. Western Digital Corporation has a 12-month low of $132.43 and a 12-month high of $799.87.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The data storage provider reported $4.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.11 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $4.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.14 billion. Western Digital had a return on equity of 55.62% and a net margin of 69.20%. Western Digital’s revenue for the quarter was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Western Digital Corporation will post 23.62 EPS for the current year.

Western Digital Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Shareholders 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 2.33%.

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) develops and supplies hard disk drives (HDDs) and related data-storage products. Its drives serve data centers and cloud providers, as well as businesses and consumers who need storage for computers, network-attached storage systems, surveillance and other applications. Its product brands include WD and Ultrastar. Founded in 1970, the company began as an electronics and semiconductor business before expanding into data storage. In February 2025, Western Digital completed the separation of its flash-memory business into the independently traded SanDisk Corporation, leaving Western Digital focused on HDDs.