Volterra Technologies LP bought a new position in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC – Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 28,855 shares of the data storage provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,464,000. Western Digital makes up about 0.3% of Volterra Technologies LP’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Western Digital by 7.1% during the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,281 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,583 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Western Digital by 57.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 309 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in Western Digital by 3.0% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,871 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $465,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Western Digital by 124.5% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 211 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Western Digital news, Director Matthew E. Massengill sold 36,926 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.43, for a total transaction of $9,616,638.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.44, for a total transaction of $5,108,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 623,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $159,288,807.84. This trade represents a 3.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 92,795 shares of company stock worth $24,265,884 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.
Western Digital Price Performance
Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.93 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. Western Digital had a net margin of 35.52% and a return on equity of 41.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.77 EPS. Research analysts predict that Western Digital Corporation will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Western Digital Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 5th. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.02%.
Western Digital News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Western Digital this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Investor focus on tight high-capacity HDD supply for cloud/AI workloads and Western Digital’s expanded $4.0 billion share-repurchase authorization is supporting the rally; the company’s Innovation Day roadmap (40TB UltraSMR ePMR HDD in hyperscaler qualification) reinforces the growth narrative for AI storage. Western Digital (WDC) rises 3.5% as AI-storage demand narrative and recent buyback authorization continue to support shares
- Positive Sentiment: Customer narrative pieces highlight strong enterprise demand for hard drives, which backs the thesis that nearline/HDD capacity remains tight and pricing power could persist. Customer Narrative on Hard Drives Bodes Well for Western Digital (WDC)
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment and relative performance remain constructive: WDC has materially outperformed the broader tech sector over the past year and multiple brokers maintain bullish ratings and elevated price targets, which provides momentum and buy-side interest. How Is Western Digital’s Stock Performance Compared to Other Technology Stocks?
- Positive Sentiment: Media commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) have included WDC on watchlists as a name to buy on market dips, which can amplify flows when broader-market pullbacks occur. Cramer: Buy Western Digital, Micron, Seagate on oil-driven dips
- Neutral Sentiment: Partnership/solution announcements (e.g., VDURA combining WD Ultrastar hybrid platforms with cloud-scale AI file architecture) extend product reach but are incremental until they produce visible revenue/contract wins. VDURA to Combine Scalable WD Ultrastar Hybrid Storage Platforms with Cloud-Scale AI File Architecture
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling has been heavy recently (multiple exec sales reported), which can be interpreted negatively by some investors and may weigh on sentiment despite company-level buybacks. Western Digital (WDC) rises 3.5% as AI-storage demand narrative and recent buyback authorization continue to support shares
- Negative Sentiment: Macro pressure from rising oil and choppy futures can drag broader tech names; recent headlines show futures slipping as oil jumps, which can trigger short-term volatility for WDC. Dow Jones Futures Fall As Oil Prices Run Past $90; Oracle, Nvidia Lift These AI Names
- Negative Sentiment: Short-term pullbacks have occurred (coverage noting WDC fell more than the broader market), so momentum can reverse quickly after a sharp rally — watch valuation and volume on moves. Western Digital (WDC) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group set a $306.00 price objective on shares of Western Digital in a report on Friday, January 30th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of Western Digital in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $310.00 price objective on Western Digital in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Western Digital to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $265.58.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Western Digital
Western Digital Company 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.
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