AIA Group Ltd grew its position in shares of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC – Free Report) by 93.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,265 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,165 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $3,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WDC. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in Western Digital by 124.5% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its holdings in Western Digital by 551.4% in the third quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 241 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the third quarter worth $30,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Western Digital during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 207.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 264 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Western Digital
In other news, insider Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 9,324 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.27, for a total value of $2,501,349.48. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 121,682 shares in the company, valued at $32,643,630.14. The trade was a 7.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.44, for a total value of $5,108,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 623,586 shares in the company, valued at $159,288,807.84. The trade was a 3.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 92,795 shares of company stock worth $24,265,884. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Western Digital Price Performance
Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.93 by $0.20. Western Digital had a net margin of 35.52% and a return on equity of 41.53%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 25.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 EPS for the current year.
Western Digital Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.02%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
WDC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Western Digital from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Western Digital from $240.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Western Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $265.58.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Western Digital
Key Western Digital News
Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend timing and payout lifted investor interest; coverage noted Western Digital climbed to an all‑time high ahead of its quarterly dividend, which often draws income‑oriented and momentum buyers. Western Digital (WDC) Climbs to All-Time High on Dividend Payment
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media narratives are shifting toward AI storage demand and higher long‑term targets; pieces highlight management’s margin/earnings ambitions and renewed upside from AI workloads, supporting bullish expectations. How The Western Digital (WDC) Narrative Is Shifting With AI Storage Hopes And Lofty Targets
- Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum: 24/7 Wall St. and other outlets flagged a “golden cross” formation (50‑day MA crossing above 200‑day MA), a widely watched bullish signal that can attract trend‑following flows. These 2 Data Storage Stocks Just Flashed Golden Crosses: Here’s Where They Are Headed by June
- Positive Sentiment: Reputation & governance recognition: Ethisphere named WD one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the eighth consecutive year — a credibility boost for institutional investors and ESG‑focused funds. Ethisphere Names WD as One of the 2026 World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the Eighth Time
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other idea lists are highlighting WDC alongside peers (Lumentum, Micron, Sandisk), keeping the stock in analysts’ screens but not constituting immediate catalysts. Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Lumentum, Ciena, Sandisk, Micron and Western Digital
- Neutral Sentiment: Sector strength: SanDisk’s dramatic run and strong memory/storage demand support a favorable industry backdrop that can lift WDC by association. Up Around 1,200% in the Past Year, How Much Higher Can Sandisk Stock Go?
- Neutral Sentiment: Retail pricing/promo: a sale on WD Red Plus NAS drives was reported — positive for unit demand but neutral for near‑term revenue mix and margins unless the discounts are broad. Western Digital WD Red Plus NAS drive drops to $279.34
- Negative Sentiment: Short‑term volatility: prior‑day weakness noted by Zacks (WDC fell more than the broader market), suggesting some profit‑taking or sensitivity to daily market moves. Here’s Why Western Digital (WDC) Fell More Than Broader Market
- Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: broader market futures were affected by Middle East energy strikes, a factor that can blunt risk appetite for cyclical/tech names on any given day. Beyond Data, Western Digital Stores Institutional Capital
Western Digital Profile
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.
See Also
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