TickerTalks
Browse all tickers →
TickerTalks›$WDC
WDWDC

Western Digital Corporation

Strong FundamentalsStrong FundamentalsRevenue growing 45% YoY at strong marginsStreet coverage with positive forward estimatesConsistent chatter on X (902/wk), no spike
$WDC·$188B·Computer Hardware·Technology
$450.55-1.9%YTD+209.6%1Y+450.1%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-22: 20 posts902+2%
Price updated 13h ago·X counts updated 9d ago
WDWDC
$WDCWestern Digital Corporation
$450.55-1.94%902 posts+2%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
Loading…

AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $WDC, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersCooling offAI verdict · as of 2026-09-01

Catching its breath after a run — could pick back up or fade from here.

HDD-into-AI-training thesis is real; a 21% weekly drop on the Samsung memory disappointment shows the crowd blinking first.

Western Digital sells hard disk drives — the storage layer beneath every AI training corpus and every hyperscale data lake. The equity ran ferociously for a year on the AI-storage thesis and just took its first real drawdown.

Why the cooling reads real:

  • The demand story is genuine and structural — last quarter revenue grew 45% YoY to $3.34B at a 50% gross margin and 36% operating margin, extraordinary for HDD; consensus for the year is $12.9B with $9.99 EPS.
  • The recent drawdown is memory-group-wide — down 21% over the week on a Samsung memory-price disappointment, with the crowd tracking $400 and $360 as downside levels; real distribution but on group-driven news.
  • Structural tape sits in the middle — 52% of the 52-week range, 23% above the 200-day, volume 76% of average.
  • The convert exchange is worth flagging — WDC exchanged $191M of 3.00% convertible notes into 4.65M shares on Aug 27; reduces future dilution but is real supply hitting the tape now.
  • Insider tape is heavy — CTO Davis and VP Gubbi took ~$1M each F-InKind on Aug 26, and officer Tregillis sold $482K on Aug 27.

The cooling reverses higher on the Oct 29 print if HDD ASPs stay firm and the FY27 guide reflects continued AI-training-data growth; the wrong way if guidance backs off the run-rate.

Agrees with X sentimentX is right that the group is being repriced on the Samsung news and downside levels are in play; the minority bull point that HDDs are underpriced for AI training data is also fair — this is a partial agree where the tape currently favors the bears.

What to watch: Oct 29 earnings — HDD ASP trend, FY27 guide, and any Samsung-style pricing hedge in the commentary; a guide reset below the current run-rate seals the cooling into a real leg down.

On the calendar: 2026-10-29 — FQ1 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bearish sentiment35 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-30

Memory names are getting hammered, with Western Digital down 7-10% in single sessions and 21% over the week amid a Samsung disappointment. Bears call it 'a nail in the coffin' and note stocks 'up on bad news, down on good.' A minority argues HDDs are the most underpriced piece of the AI supply chain given AI training data volumes, but the crowd is tracking downside levels of $400 and $360.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $WDC

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
Free, forever. No credit card.

What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Makes HDDs and NAND flash storage under WD and SanDisk brands for cloud, enterprise, and consumer markets.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Computer Hardware sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $WDC.

Computer Hardware · Technology

AI server infrastructure buildout drives compute shipment volumes; Dell and HPE are riding the same hyperscaler capex wave that lifted NVDA. Non-AI commercial refresh remains soft, so the bull case is concentrated in AI infrastructure exposure.

What this means for $WDC

Direct beneficiary — semiconductor products are directly in the AI capex supply chain; Western Digital Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets a broad range of data storage devices and software soluti.

Top industry ETF

$SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF
+75.7%YTD
+110.5%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
27.2How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
27.9%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
30.8%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
1.6%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
15.0Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
91.9%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
45.4%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.2Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Aug 5, 2026$3.56$3.31+7.6%
Q1 2026Apr 30, 2026$2.72$2.39+13.8%
Q4 2025Jan 29, 2026$2.13$1.93+10.4%
Q3 2025Oct 30, 2025$1.78$1.59+11.9%
Next earningsThu, Oct 29·consensus EPS $4.07

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q3 FY26$3.3B+45.5%50.2%35.7%$9.29$978.0M
Q2 FY26$3.0B-29.6%45.7%31.9%$5.27$653.0M
Q1 FY26$2.8B+27.4%43.5%28.1%$3.34$599.0M
Q4 FY25$2.6B+30.0%41.0%26.1%$0.79$675.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 18 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$12.9B$12.8B – $13.0B$9.99$9.80 – $10.5917
FY27$18.3B$15.1B – $20.2B$18.50$11.59 – $22.5118
FY28$24.2B$23.7B – $24.8B$29.18$22.17 – $36.1716
FY29$29.2B$24.6B – $33.9B$37.19$29.65 – $45.048
FY30$33.4B$28.2B – $38.8B$51.01$40.67 – $61.788

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.8×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.52%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-14.2%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+22.8%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatHigh float · 341.5M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today1.7% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β2.225-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellAug 27Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec1.0K sh$482KSellAug 26Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec476 sh$215KSellAug 24Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec684 sh$305KSellAug 21Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec235 sh$112KSellAug 11Irving TanCEO20.0K sh$8.9MSellJul 28Martin I ColeDirector1.5K sh$636KSellJul 21Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec808 sh$428KSellJun 9Martin I ColeDirector992 sh$519KSellJun 5Cynthia L TregillisChief Legal Officer & Corp Sec432 sh$236KSellJun 1Vidyadhara K GubbiChief of Global Operations2.5K sh$1.4M
1–10 of 18
+ 117 other (42 inkinds · 42 exempts · 32 awards · 1 gift) in window

See when $WDC insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
Free, forever. No credit card.

SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-K/AUnregistered equity sale (amended)Aug 278-K/A — Item 3.02: Unregistered equity sale
AI summary

Western Digital Corporation amended its earlier 8-K to confirm that 4,653,572 shares of common stock (Exchange Shares) will be delivered to holders who exchanged approximately $191.0 million principal amount of 3.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028, in privately negotiated exchange transactions closed August 26, 2026. The share count had been unavailable at original filing because it depended on the August 26 VWAP. These exchanges are modestly dilutive but reduce WDC's convertible debt outstanding.

8-KUnregistered equity saleAug 268-K — Item 3.02: Unregistered equity sale · Item 8.01: Other event
AI summary

Western Digital entered into privately negotiated exchange agreements with certain holders of its 3.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028. Under the agreements, noteholders agreed to surrender their notes in exchange for newly issued equity shares (Exchange Shares) issued in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Material debt-for-equity exchange that reduces WDC's convertible debt obligations while issuing new unregistered shares.

8-K/AUnregistered equity sale (amended)Jun 88-K/A — Item 3.02: Unregistered equity sale
AI summary

Western Digital Corporation (WDC) filed an amendment (8-K/A) to its June 3, 2026 report to disclose the final share count for its convertible note exchange: 21,289,938 shares of common stock will be delivered in exchange for approximately $858.4 million aggregate principal of 3.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028, with the per-share price calculated using the June 3–4, 2026 two-day VWAP. This is a material equity dilution event — 21.3 million new shares issued to retire $858M of convertible debt, reducing leverage but expanding the share count.

8-KUnregistered equity saleJun 38-K — Item 3.02: Unregistered equity sale · Item 8.01: Other event
AI summary

WDC (WDC) disclosed unregistered sales of equity securities under 8-K Item 3.02. The transaction involved proceeds of approximately $858.4 million. Unregistered securities are typically sold in private placements under Rule 144A, Regulation D, or Regulation S exemptions, without requiring SEC registration at the time of sale. These transactions are material because they dilute existing shareholders and may result in significant blocks of stock becoming freely tradeable once registration rights are exercised.

3New insider — initial holdingsMay 283
AI summary

Manuvir Das filed an initial Form 3 for Western Digital Corporation (WDC) as of May 26, 2026, reporting his initial beneficial ownership upon becoming a new member of the WDC Board of Directors. This is a routine Section 16 compliance filing; the substantive board appointment details are in the companion 8-K (Item 5.02).

8-KOfficer or director changeMay 288-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Western Digital Corporation's Board of Directors unanimously appointed Manuvir Das as a new board member on May 26, 2026, to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders; Das was also appointed to the Audit Committee. An investor presentation (Regulation FD) was concurrently released as Exhibit 99.1. Das's background and a Regulation FD disclosure accompany the board expansion, indicating WDC is actively communicating updates alongside the governance change.

+ 12 other (6 13Gs · 2 earnings 8-Ks · 1 10-K · 1 routine 8-K) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Western Digital Just Dropped 13% in a Month. Is It Time to Sell?247wallst.com·4d ago4 High-Flying Memory & Storage Giants to Gain More Amid NVDA's Solid Q2zacks.com·4d agoAlgert Global LLC Takes $5.03 Million Position in Western Digital Corporation $WDCdefenseworld.net·4d agoZacks Industry Outlook Western Digital, Sandisk and Super Micro Computerzacks.com·4d agoTwo AI Memory Stocks with Huge Potentialfxempire.com·5d ago

In themes

Explore the broader themes this ticker is being talked about under.

Best PerformersAI InfrastructureAI Memory Supercycle

More in Computer Hardware

Peers in the same group — one click to compare setups, fundamentals, and chatter.

$SNDK$ANET$IONQ$STX$QNT$SMCI$DELL$RGTI
Voices on X · top 15 · last 7 days

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

PrivacyTermsSupport