Western Digital (WDC) Expected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• Western Digital is expected to report Q1 2027 results on October 22, with analysts forecasting $4.08 in earnings per share and $4.14 billion in revenue, within the company’s EPS guidance range of $3.85–$4.15.
• The company’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with $3.56 EPS and $3.75 billion in revenue; revenue rose 43.8% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of $19.65.
• Despite a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $618.63 average price target, concerns include falling share prices, HDD capacity and pricing pressure, and intensifying competition in memory and AI data-center markets.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) is expected to be announcing its Q1 2027 results after the market closes on Thursday, October 22nd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $4.08 per share and revenue of $4.14 billion for the quarter. Western Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.850-4.150 EPS. Investors are encouraged to explore the company's upcoming Q1 2027 earnings overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 4:30 PM ET.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The data storage provider reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.70 billion. Western Digital had a net margin of 72.95% and a return on equity of 48.15%. The firm's revenue was up 43.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. On average, analysts expect Western Digital to post $19.65 EPS for the current fiscal year and $34.03 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Western Digital Price Performance

Shares of WDC stock opened at $364.10 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $136.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 2.11. Western Digital has a 1-year low of $113.50 and a 1-year high of $799.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $446.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $477.28.

Western Digital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 8th. Western Digital's dividend payout ratio is 2.48%.

Insider Activity at Western Digital

In other news, insider Cynthia Tregillis sold 432 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $451.20, for a total transaction of $194,918.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 111,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,096,736. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Vidyadhara Gubbi sold 1,795 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.87, for a total value of $825,466.65. Following the sale, the insider owned 80,571 shares in the company, valued at $37,052,185.77. The trade was a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 25,437 shares of company stock valued at $11,461,345 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WDC shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Western Digital from $525.00 to $470.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Western Digital from $575.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price objective on Western Digital from $660.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Western Digital from $650.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Western Digital from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Western Digital currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $618.63.

Key Headlines Impacting Western Digital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Western Digital recently delivered stronger-than-expected results, with quarterly earnings and revenue exceeding consensus estimates. Revenue increased sharply year over year, and the company has issued solid fiscal first-quarter 2027 guidance. The upcoming earnings report, scheduled for October 22, will be important for confirming whether demand and margins remain strong. Western Digital earnings preview
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish, with previously published price targets substantially above the current trading range. One Wall Street analysis argues that repeated earnings beats and the stock’s recent decline could create significant rebound potential. Western Digital rebound analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Western Digital has attracted increased investor attention, while institutional positioning remains mixed. Recent filings show both major purchases and significant reductions by large investment firms, offering no clear consensus on the stock’s near-term direction. Western Digital stock analysis
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target while maintaining a neutral rating, citing uncertainty over HDD production capacity and future pricing. Investors are increasingly concerned that supply growth could pressure Western Digital’s margins and weaken the company’s earnings momentum ahead of its report. Western Digital price-target cut
• Negative Sentiment: China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies is targeting denser memory designs for server applications, raising fears of intensified competition in a highly profitable segment linked to AI data centers. The resulting semiconductor selloff has also affected Western Digital and other memory and storage stocks. China competition pressures memory stocks

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation NASDAQ: WDC develops, manufactures and supplies data-storage products and solutions. The company's portfolio is centered on hard disk drives (HDDs) used in cloud and enterprise data centers, personal computers, network-attached storage systems and other applications that require high-capacity data storage.

Western Digital markets products under brands including Western Digital, WD and Ultrastar. Its offerings include enterprise and data-center HDDs, storage products for business and consumer systems, and related technologies designed to help organizations store, manage and access large volumes of data.

Founded in 1970, Western Digital has evolved from a maker of electronic components into a global data-storage company.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.