Western Digital (WDC)
NASDAQInformation TechnologyComputer HardwareSnapshot 2026-10-29
NASDAQInformation TechnologyComputer HardwareSnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put WDC beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals is in supercycle. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — Achieve non-GAAP gross margin near 51.5% in fiscal Q4 2026: Comparison needs review.
View ThesisManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, market reaction to earnings.
View ManagementExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationThis stock is highly volatile — it swings about 4% on a typical day and fell roughly 56% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskWDC’s revenue growth and gross margins depend on sustained storage demand, especially from AI. Revenue growth accelerated from 44% to 55% year over year, with Q1 FY2027 earnings beating estimates. WDC trades at 31× P/E versus a 35× peer median. Expectations look modest versus our growth view, despite the sector’s Mania cycle. The comparison with the fiscal Q4 gross-margin target needs review, so the pillar remains unverified. Fragile cash backing and weak execution quality could weaken the growth case. Peer multiples imply a price about 30% below where it trades; the thesis is on watch, and this read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-29. WDC is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 27 analysts currently covering WDC (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 9 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for WDC in the last 4 months.
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Compare WDC with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WDC Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 11 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-29. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Our valuation methods disagree too much on this name right now. Rather than print a number we don't believe, we're holding it back until they converge.
Our valuation methods disagree too much on this name right now. Rather than print a number we don't believe, we're holding it back until they converge.
Compare the value case
Put WDC next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Return capital to shareholders
Earnings beat and 17% dividend increase support performance and shareholder-return objectives.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-29. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $395.41
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $395.41.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Top 10% on quality vs scored peers
A second lens on the 12-month fair value: for companies that score high on measured quality (profitability, balance-sheet safety, earnings stability), this read trusts more of today's profit margins instead of averaging them toward their multi-year history the way the headline number does. Shown alongside the fair value above, not in place of it. A diagnostic, not a price target or a buy/sell signal.
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.

Advances: Expand revenue and gross margins
Company guidance signals strong quarterly revenue and 60%-61% gross margins.

Advances: Expand revenue and gross margins
Q1 beat and earnings growth support revenue and margin objectives despite stock reaction.

Advances: Expand revenue and gross margins
Strong quarterly results support growth, though rising inventory is a modest caution.

Advances: Expand revenue and gross margins
Profit growth tied to storage demand supports revenue and margin expansion.
Advances: Expand revenue and gross margins
Q1 results and guidance beat forecasts, strengthening operating-growth evidence.

Lower capacity outlook signals a potential growth headwind, despite BofA raising its target.

Loss of CFO may impact financial strategy execution.
