In the third quarter, Braun Stacey Associates acquired 262,117 shares of Western Digital, representing approximately 1.0% of its portfolio and marking Western Digital as its 28th largest holding. The position was valued at roughly $31.47 million at the time of purchase. By the end of the period, Braun Stacey held 0.08% of Western Digital’s outstanding shares. During the same quarter, Raymond James Financial increased its stake by 0.4%, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management grew its position by 28.0%, the State of Wyoming lifted its holding by 354.1%, Vident Advisory launched a new position, and Ancora Advisors expanded its stake by 45,933.3%. Overall, institutional investors now own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Several major firms have upgraded their outlook on Western Digital in recent months. Citigroup revised its objective upward by 11%, Wells Fargo boosted its target by 20%, Mizuho and China Renaissance both initiated or reaffirmed positive ratings, and TD Cowen more than doubled its forecast. In total, one analyst rates the shares as a Strong Buy, nineteen as Buy and five as Hold, resulting in a consensus view of Moderate Buy.

In its latest quarter, Western Digital reported revenue of $4.10 billion and earnings per share of $1.78. The company achieved a return on equity of 30.89% and a net margin of 21.37%. Its balance sheet reflects a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.21. Analysts forecast full-year EPS of 4.89, implying continued margin expansion driven by AI-related storage demand.

Western Digital recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.10 to $0.125 per share, translating to an annualized payout of $0.50 and a payout ratio of 7.28%. The record date was December 4, with payment on December 18. During the past three months, insiders have sold a total of 26,369 shares. CEO Irving Tan reduced his stake by 3.01% through a sale of 20,000 shares, while Director Kimberly Alexy decreased her position by 33.03% via a disposal of 1,768 shares.