GTS Securities LLC Boosts Stake in Western Digital Corporation $WDC

Key Points

• GTS Securities increased its Western Digital stake by 373.2% in the second quarter, owning 12,918 shares valued at approximately $8.25 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 92.51% of the company’s stock.
• Western Digital reported strong quarterly results, with revenue up 43.8% year over year to $3.75 billion and EPS of $3.56, exceeding analyst expectations. The company guided to next-quarter EPS of $3.85–$4.15.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $534.56, although several firms recently reduced their targets. Western Digital also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, while insiders sold shares in recent transactions.

GTS Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC - Free Report) by 373.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,918 shares of the data storage provider's stock after buying an additional 10,188 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Western Digital were worth $8,251,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Western Digital during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Western Digital in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Western Digital in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Western Digital in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 45.5% during the second quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC now owns 80 shares of the data storage provider's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Western Digital Trading Down 0.6%

Western Digital stock opened at $459.45 on Friday. Western Digital Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.90 and a 12 month high of $799.87. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $526.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $439.63. The firm has a market cap of $158.36 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98 and a beta of 2.14.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Western Digital had a net margin of 72.95% and a return on equity of 48.15%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.66 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 43.8% on a year-over-year basis. Western Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.850-4.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Western Digital Corporation will post 19.65 EPS for the current year.

Western Digital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 2.48%.

Insider Activity at Western Digital

In related news, insider Vidyadhara K. Gubbi sold 2,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $556.24, for a total value of $1,376,694.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 85,154 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,366,060.96. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $444.97, for a total value of $8,899,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 575,966 shares in the company, valued at $256,287,591.02. This represents a 3.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 26,117 shares of company stock worth $12,053,353 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Western Digital from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of Western Digital from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $560.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities cut their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $900.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Digital has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $534.56.

Trending Headlines about Western Digital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Western Digital’s long-term outlook remains supported by demand for AI infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise storage, automotive systems and other data-intensive applications. Analysts at Zacks continue to identify WDC as a potential beneficiary of strong memory and storage demand, particularly following Nvidia’s solid results. 4 High-Flying Memory and Storage Giants
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results provide fundamental support: revenue rose 43.8% year over year to $3.75 billion, while earnings of $3.56 per share exceeded expectations. Guidance for $3.85 to $4.15 in next-quarter EPS also remains constructive.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s consensus remains bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target above the current trading level. Several firms have cited continued AI and storage demand as reasons for further upside. Wall Street’s Bullish Views on WDC
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider Cynthia Tregillis sold a small portion of her holdings under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transactions modestly reduce her position but do not necessarily signal deteriorating confidence. Cynthia Tregillis Insider Transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Memory and storage stocks sold off even after Nvidia reported strong results, suggesting investors are taking profits from an extended AI trade and differentiating among suppliers. Western Digital’s underperformance versus peers has amplified concern that expectations or valuation may have become too aggressive. Why Memory Stocks Fell Despite Nvidia’s Results

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.

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