262,117 Shares in Western Digital Corporation $WDC Purchased by Braun Stacey Associates Inc.

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 262,117 shares of the data storage provider’s stock, valued at approximately $31,470,000. Western Digital comprises approximately 1.0% of Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. owned 0.08% of Western Digital at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 0.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 107,187 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $4,334,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Western Digital by 28.0% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,940 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Western Digital by 354.1% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,863 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 1st quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Western Digital by 45,933.3% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 13,810 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $558,000 after purchasing an additional 13,780 shares in the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Western Digital from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho set a $180.00 price objective on Western Digital in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. China Renaissance assumed coverage on shares of Western Digital in a report on Friday, December 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $193.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Western Digital from $90.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.65.

Western Digital Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Western Digital stock opened at $172.27 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.92. Western Digital Corporation has a 52-week low of $28.83 and a 52-week high of $188.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.78.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 7th. The data storage provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter. Western Digital had a return on equity of 30.89% and a net margin of 21.37%.The business had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts anticipate that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Digital Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a $0.125 dividend. This is a boost from Western Digital’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Western Digital’s payout ratio is presently 7.28%.

Insider Transactions at Western Digital

In other Western Digital news, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.69, for a total value of $3,013,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 645,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $97,265,422.23. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kimberly Alexy sold 1,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.00, for a total transaction of $272,272.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $552,090. The trade was a 33.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,369 shares of company stock worth $4,013,785 in the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Western Digital News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a long/bullish stance on WDC, citing the ongoing AI infrastructure wave that lifts demand for high‑capacity HDDs — this institutional support can underpin further upside. Cantor Fitzgerald urges long position on Western Digital (WDC) amid AI infrastructure wave
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and analysis note that Big Tech is accumulating WDC shares as a “pure‑play” HDD supplier for large-scale archival and cold storage — a structural demand narrative that supports medium/long‑term revenue visibility. Why Big Tech Is Quietly Buying Western Digital Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple year‑end wrap pieces (MarketBeat, Barron’s, WSJ excerpts) highlight WDC as one of 2025’s top performers driven by HDD demand and solid FY results — this momentum underlies elevated analyst estimates and investor interest going into 2026. The 3 Stocks That Crushed the S&P 500 in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Market roundups and forecasts flag WDC as a trending/top‑performing S&P name and discuss what lies ahead in 2026 — informative but mixed: reflects high expectations that already appear priced in. Here Are the Top-Performing S&P 500 Stocks From 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Aggregate headlines show WDC up substantially YTD and consolidate analyst attention; that concentration of gains increases volatility and raises the short‑term chance of consolidation. Western Digital Corporation (WDC) Up More 285% YTD
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and pieces suggest investors consider alternative storage plays (e.g., Pure Storage) for 2026, implying rotation risk away from WDC if investors prefer faster‑growing flash/software exposure over HDDs. That competitive/rotation narrative can pressure WDC after such a large run. After Record Runs for Western Digital and Sandisk in 2025, Consider This 1 Data Center Storage Stock for 2026

About Western Digital

Western Digital Corporation is a global data storage company that designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of storage devices and systems for personal, enterprise and cloud applications. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company develops hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), NAND flash components and finished storage products used in PCs, external storage, servers, network-attached storage (NAS) and embedded systems.

Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial markets, including internal and external HDDs and SSDs, removable flash memory products and storage platforms for data center and enterprise environments.