AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 66,450 Shares of Western Digital Corporation $WDC

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 351,672 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 66,450 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $60,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WDC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Western Digital by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,282,393 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $5,196,484,000 after acquiring an additional 243,177 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Western Digital in the third quarter worth $791,317,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Western Digital by 11.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,805,463 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $456,884,000 after purchasing an additional 384,103 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Western Digital by 11.8% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,804,907 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $456,737,000 after purchasing an additional 402,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Digital by 4,923.9% during the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 3,407,042 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $409,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,339,225 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Western Digital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Western Digital was named to the 2026 S&P Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index North America for the first time, highlighting its ESG performance and leadership in sustainable AI infrastructure. WD Named to 2026 S&P Dow Jones Best‑in‑Class Index North America, Recognizing Leadership in Sustainable AI Infrastructure
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports point to WDC riding an AI storage boom, with strong earnings, rising hyperscaler demand, and aggressive shareholder returns after the SanDisk split. WDC’s Whopping 893% Run in a Year: Buy the Stock Amid AI Storage Boom?
• Positive Sentiment: Memory chip stocks, including Western Digital, have been rising on momentum tied to AI demand and the view that storage is a critical constraint in data-center buildouts. SNDK, MU: Why Are AI Memory Chip Stocks Rising Today, 05/13/26?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market commentary also noted Western Digital among the recent high-momentum stocks, reflecting strong investor interest rather than a company-specific new catalyst. 2 Momentum Stocks to Consider Right Now and 1 That Underwhelm
• Negative Sentiment: One sector-risk report flagged WDC’s broader industry as vulnerable ahead of a policy change, which could temper some of the recent enthusiasm if macro conditions weaken. 3 Sectors That Look Most Vulnerable Ahead of May 15 (WDC)

Western Digital Price Performance

NASDAQ WDC opened at $489.15 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $347.73 and its 200-day moving average is $255.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20 and a beta of 2.10. Western Digital Corporation has a one year low of $48.81 and a one year high of $525.15.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The data storage provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.33. Western Digital had a net margin of 55.29% and a return on equity of 42.95%. The firm had revenue of $3.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 45.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Digital has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.400 EPS. Research analysts expect that Western Digital Corporation will post 9.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Digital Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.1%. This is a positive change from Western Digital’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 2.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Digital

In related news, insider Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 363 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $377.09, for a total transaction of $136,883.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 120,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,259,473.07. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.84, for a total transaction of $8,236,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 598,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $246,342,096. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 53,679 shares of company stock valued at $18,049,314 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WDC. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Western Digital from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial set a $310.00 price target on shares of Western Digital in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Western Digital to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Argus set a $300.00 price objective on Western Digital in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Western Digital to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.83.

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.