John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Grows Position in Western Digital Co. (NASDAQ:WDC)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Western Digital Co. (NASDAQ:WDC - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 103,750 shares of the data storage provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,100 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Western Digital were worth $5,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Western Digital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Western Digital by 79.1% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 747 shares of the data storage provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Western Digital in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Western Digital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $57,000. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Western Digital Price Performance

Shares of WDC traded down $2.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.05. 7,029,792 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,979,570. The company has a market cap of $21.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.26 and a beta of 1.57. Western Digital Co. has a fifty-two week low of $31.97 and a fifty-two week high of $76.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm's fifty day moving average is $63.71 and its 200 day moving average is $54.13.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.30) by $0.61. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. Western Digital had a negative return on equity of 19.45% and a negative net margin of 19.90%. Western Digital's quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.69) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Western Digital Co. will post -2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James upped their price objective on Western Digital from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Western Digital from $66.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com cut Western Digital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Western Digital from $73.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Western Digital from $58.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Western Digital presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.17.

Insider Transactions at Western Digital

In related news, SVP Gene M. Zamiska sold 443 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $33,225.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,321,850. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Kimberly Alexy sold 2,648 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.95, for a total transaction of $185,227.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,434,604.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Gene M. Zamiska sold 443 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $33,225.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,958 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,321,850. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells data storage devices and solutions in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, rest of Asia, and internationally. It offers client devices, including hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) for desktop and notebook personal computers (PCs), gaming consoles, and set top boxes; and flash-based embedded storage products for mobile phones, tablets, notebook PCs, and other portable and wearable devices, as well as automotive, Internet of Things, industrial, and connected home applications.