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Western Digital (WDC) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why

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The most recent trading session ended with Western Digital (WDC - Free Report) standing at $64.09, reflecting a -1.43% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.13%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.55%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.52%.

The maker of hard drives for businesses and personal computers's stock has climbed by 1.51% in the past month, falling short of the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.56% and the S&P 500's gain of 3.67%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Western Digital in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.72, reflecting a 197.73% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $4.11 billion, up 49.5% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $8.35 per share and revenue of $17.13 billion, which would represent changes of +4275% and +31.77%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Western Digital. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 17.02% downward. Western Digital presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Western Digital is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 7.78. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 13.65.

The Computer- Storage Devices industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 160, putting it in the bottom 37% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


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