Vidyadhara Gubbi Sells 1,795 Shares of Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) Stock

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) insider Vidyadhara Gubbi sold 1,795 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.87, for a total value of $825,466.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 80,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,052,185.77. The trade was a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Western Digital Trading Up 1.0%

WDC opened at $482.28 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $496.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $450.83. Western Digital Corporation has a 12-month low of $93.92 and a 12-month high of $799.87. The firm has a market cap of $166.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 2.13.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The data storage provider reported $3.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.70 billion. Western Digital had a return on equity of 48.15% and a net margin of 72.95%.Western Digital’s revenue was up 43.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. Western Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.850-4.150 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Western Digital Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Western Digital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Western Digital’s payout ratio is 2.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Western Digital by 71.4% during the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 230,578 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $147,275,000 after purchasing an additional 96,078 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 33.6% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,122,095 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $193,303,000 after buying an additional 282,156 shares in the last quarter. CloudAlpha Capital Management Limited Hong Kong purchased a new position in shares of Western Digital in the 4th quarter valued at $20,889,000. World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Western Digital by 145.8% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 5,950 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $1,025,000 after buying an additional 3,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Win Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Western Digital during the 4th quarter worth $1,233,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

More Western Digital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven storage demand remains a key growth catalyst. Rising data volumes from AI inference, agentic AI and other emerging workloads could support long-term demand for Western Digital’s data-center storage products. AI Data Explosion: Can WDC Become a Bigger Storage Winner?
• Positive Sentiment: Strong free cash flow supports shareholder returns. WDC entered fiscal 2027 with stronger cash generation and a net cash position, potentially enabling continued buybacks and dividend payments. The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share. Can Western Digital’s Strong FCF Sustain Buybacks and Dividends?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating performance has exceeded expectations. Western Digital’s latest reported quarter included adjusted earnings of $3.56 per share versus the $3.31 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 43.8% year over year to $3.75 billion. Fiscal first-quarter 2027 guidance of $3.85–$4.15 in EPS reinforces the bullish earnings narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s Citi Global TMT Conference presentation is in focus. Investors are evaluating the company’s latest commentary on storage demand, AI exposure and fiscal 2027 prospects for additional clues about the sustainability of its growth. Western Digital Presents at Citi’s 2026 Global TMT Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation has become a concern. A separate analysis questions whether WDC is priced too aggressively after its substantial advance. With the stock trading at roughly 20 times earnings, further gains may depend on continued earnings growth and successful execution. Is Western Digital Priced Too High?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal. Insider Vidyadhara Gubbi sold 1,795 shares and Cynthia Tregillis sold 432 shares. Both retained sizable holdings, and Tregillis’s transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its significance as a bearish signal. Western Digital Insider Selling

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Western Digital from $450.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Western Digital from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Summit Insights cut Western Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Western Digital from $575.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $630.00 target price on Western Digital in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $534.56.

Western Digital Company Profile

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) develops, manufactures and sells data storage products and solutions for data centers, cloud service providers, enterprises, businesses and consumers. Its portfolio is centered on hard disk drives (HDDs), including high-capacity enterprise drives used in cloud and data center environments, as well as products for network-attached storage, surveillance and personal computing.

The company markets products under brands including Western Digital, WD, WD_BLACK and Ultrastar.