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Western Digital (WDC) Competitors

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$459.44 -9.61 (-2.05%)
As of 08/21/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

WDC vs. AMAT, KLAC, LRCX, MKSI, and MU

Should you buy Western Digital stock or one of its competitors? Western Digital's main competitors and comparable companies include Applied Materials (AMAT), KLA (KLAC), Lam Research (LRCX), MKS (MKSI), and Micron Technology (MU). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "technology" sector.

How does Western Digital compare to Applied Materials?

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk and media sentiment.

Western Digital has a net margin of 72.95% compared to Applied Materials' net margin of 30.05%. Western Digital's return on equity of 48.15% beat Applied Materials' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Digital72.95% 48.15% 25.79%
Applied Materials 30.05%38.02%22.09%

Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Applied Materials pays an annual dividend of $2.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Western Digital pays out 2.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Applied Materials pays out 18.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Applied Materials has raised its dividend for 8 consecutive years. Applied Materials is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Western Digital has a beta of 2.14, meaning that its stock price is 114% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Applied Materials has a beta of 1.61, meaning that its stock price is 61% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Applied Materials had 8 more articles in the media than Western Digital. MarketBeat recorded 90 mentions for Applied Materials and 82 mentions for Western Digital. Western Digital's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat Applied Materials' score of 1.12 indicating that Western Digital is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Digital
69 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Applied Materials
65 Very Positive mention(s)
9 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Digital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Applied Materials. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Applied Materials, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Digital$12.92B12.26$9.42B$24.2118.98
Applied Materials$30.84B12.68$7.00B$11.6042.44

Western Digital presently has a consensus price target of $534.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.35%. Applied Materials has a consensus price target of $659.83, indicating a potential upside of 34.02%. Given Applied Materials' higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Applied Materials is more favorable than Western Digital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Digital
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
18 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Applied Materials
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
27 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

92.5% of Western Digital shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.6% of Applied Materials shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Western Digital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Applied Materials shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Western Digital beats Applied Materials on 11 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Digital compare to KLA?

KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and dividends.

KLA has a beta of 1.45, suggesting that its share price is 45% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Western Digital has a beta of 2.14, suggesting that its share price is 114% more volatile than the broader market.

86.7% of KLA shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.5% of Western Digital shares are held by institutional investors. 91.5% of KLA shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Western Digital shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

KLA presently has a consensus target price of $223.70, suggesting a potential upside of 21.58%. Western Digital has a consensus target price of $534.56, suggesting a potential upside of 16.35%. Given KLA's higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe KLA is more favorable than Western Digital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
KLA
0 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.72
Western Digital
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
18 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Western Digital has a net margin of 72.95% compared to KLA's net margin of 35.57%. KLA's return on equity of 87.66% beat Western Digital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
KLA35.57% 87.66% 29.23%
Western Digital 72.95%48.15%25.79%

KLA pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. KLA pays out 25.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Western Digital pays out 2.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. KLA has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years. KLA is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Western Digital has lower revenue, but higher earnings than KLA. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than KLA, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
KLA$13.58B17.70$4.83B$3.6750.13
Western Digital$12.92B12.26$9.42B$24.2118.98

In the previous week, Western Digital had 56 more articles in the media than KLA. MarketBeat recorded 82 mentions for Western Digital and 26 mentions for KLA. Western Digital's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat KLA's score of 0.74 indicating that Western Digital is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
KLA
15 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Western Digital
69 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

KLA and Western Digital tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Digital compare to Lam Research?

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) and Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability and valuation.

In the previous week, Western Digital had 30 more articles in the media than Lam Research. MarketBeat recorded 82 mentions for Western Digital and 52 mentions for Lam Research. Lam Research's average media sentiment score of 1.39 beat Western Digital's score of 1.36 indicating that Lam Research is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Digital
69 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Lam Research
45 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Digital currently has a consensus target price of $534.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.35%. Lam Research has a consensus target price of $358.47, indicating a potential upside of 14.16%. Given Western Digital's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Western Digital is more favorable than Lam Research.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Digital
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
18 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Lam Research
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
26 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

Western Digital has a beta of 2.14, indicating that its share price is 114% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Lam Research has a beta of 1.84, indicating that its share price is 84% more volatile than the broader market.

Western Digital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Lam Research. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lam Research, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Digital$12.92B12.26$9.42B$24.2118.98
Lam Research$23.23B16.91$7.27B$5.7654.51

92.5% of Western Digital shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.6% of Lam Research shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Western Digital shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Lam Research shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Lam Research pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Western Digital pays out 2.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Lam Research pays out 18.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Lam Research has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. Lam Research is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Western Digital has a net margin of 72.95% compared to Lam Research's net margin of 31.27%. Lam Research's return on equity of 67.60% beat Western Digital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Digital72.95% 48.15% 25.79%
Lam Research 31.27%67.60%33.48%

Summary

Western Digital and Lam Research tied by winning 10 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Digital compare to MKS?

MKS (NASDAQ:MKSI) and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk, media sentiment, profitability and institutional ownership.

MKS presently has a consensus target price of $385.00, indicating a potential upside of 37.94%. Western Digital has a consensus target price of $534.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.35%. Given MKS's higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe MKS is more favorable than Western Digital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
MKS
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Western Digital
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
18 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88

In the previous week, Western Digital had 56 more articles in the media than MKS. MarketBeat recorded 82 mentions for Western Digital and 26 mentions for MKS. MKS's average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat Western Digital's score of 1.36 indicating that MKS is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
MKS
23 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Western Digital
69 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

MKS pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. MKS pays out 15.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Western Digital pays out 2.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Western Digital has higher revenue and earnings than MKS. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than MKS, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
MKS$3.93B4.80$295M$6.2744.52
Western Digital$12.92B12.26$9.42B$24.2118.98

MKS has a beta of 1.98, indicating that its share price is 98% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Western Digital has a beta of 2.14, indicating that its share price is 114% more volatile than the broader market.

Western Digital has a net margin of 72.95% compared to MKS's net margin of 10.15%. Western Digital's return on equity of 48.15% beat MKS's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
MKS10.15% 24.72% 7.80%
Western Digital 72.95%48.15%25.79%

99.8% of MKS shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.5% of Western Digital shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of MKS shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Western Digital shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Western Digital beats MKS on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Western Digital compare to Micron Technology?

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) are both large-cap technology companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, media sentiment, risk and profitability.

Western Digital currently has a consensus price target of $534.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.35%. Micron Technology has a consensus price target of $1,261.26, indicating a potential upside of 30.46%. Given Micron Technology's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Micron Technology is more favorable than Western Digital.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Western Digital
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
18 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.88
Micron Technology
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
32 Buy rating(s)
4 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.03

Western Digital has a beta of 2.14, indicating that its stock price is 114% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Micron Technology has a beta of 2.18, indicating that its stock price is 118% more volatile than the broader market.

Western Digital has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Micron Technology. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Micron Technology, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Western Digital$12.92B12.26$9.42B$24.2118.98
Micron Technology$37.38B29.21$8.54B$44.1721.89

Western Digital has a net margin of 72.95% compared to Micron Technology's net margin of 55.91%. Micron Technology's return on equity of 71.13% beat Western Digital's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Western Digital72.95% 48.15% 25.79%
Micron Technology 55.91%71.13%50.33%

92.5% of Western Digital shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.8% of Micron Technology shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Western Digital shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Micron Technology shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Micron Technology had 124 more articles in the media than Western Digital. MarketBeat recorded 206 mentions for Micron Technology and 82 mentions for Western Digital. Western Digital's average media sentiment score of 1.36 beat Micron Technology's score of 0.76 indicating that Western Digital is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Western Digital
69 Very Positive mention(s)
5 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
3 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Micron Technology
110 Very Positive mention(s)
35 Positive mention(s)
34 Neutral mention(s)
20 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Micron Technology pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.1%. Western Digital pays out 2.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Micron Technology pays out 1.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

Micron Technology beats Western Digital on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding WDC and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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WDC vs. The Competition

MetricWestern DigitalTechnology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals IndustryTechnology SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$158.36B$113.51B$29.55B$12.85B
Dividend Yield0.13%1.73%2.75%11.08%
P/E Ratio18.9830.0773.3524.24
Price / Sales12.2693.42598.8499.78
Price / Cash37.5020.8950.3553.99
Price / Book17.867.889.446.20
Net Income$9.42B$3.57B$679.74M$348.59M
7 Day Performance-9.70%-1.62%-1.29%0.08%
1 Month Performance-17.71%7.23%4.03%3.88%
1 Year Performance496.91%103.16%189.70%16.98%

Western Digital Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
WDC
Western Digital
4.5999 of 5 stars
$459.44
-2.0%
$534.56
+16.4%
+496.9%$158.36B$12.92B18.9840,000
AMAT
Applied Materials
4.9769 of 5 stars
$535.31
+5.5%
$640.17
+19.6%
+203.0%$425.01B$30.84B46.1536,500
KLAC
KLA
4.8691 of 5 stars
$205.76
+1.0%
$223.70
+8.7%
+111.4%$268.84B$13.58B56.1117,200
LRCX
Lam Research
4.8855 of 5 stars
$343.84
+3.5%
$358.47
+4.3%
+213.7%$430.25B$23.23B59.6923,300
MKSI
MKS
4.9546 of 5 stars
$320.74
+3.2%
$385.00
+20.0%
+165.2%$21.69B$3.93B51.1510,300

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This page (NASDAQ:WDC) was last updated on 8/23/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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