Western Digital stock falls as profit taking hits a 5.55% drop
Published on 08/24/2026 at 21:27 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Western Digital Corporation (US9581021055) stock fell 5.55% on August 24, 2026 after a strong earnings print met a sharp profit-taking wave. The move came after the company reported $3.56 in quarterly EPS and $3.75 billion in revenue, both above estimates.
Earnings beat stays in view
The latest quarter, reported on August 5, 2026, showed revenue up 43.8% year over year from $2.61 billion and EPS up from $1.66 in the same period last year. The company also set Q1 2027 guidance at $3.850 to $4.150 EPS, a range that frames the next leg of expectations.
Analyst sentiment remains supportive, with a consensus target price of $534.56 and a Moderate Buy reading in current coverage. That sits well above the stock's $459.44 opening level cited in the latest market snapshot and helps explain why valuation debates have intensified after the post-earnings rally.
Valuation and positioning
The same market snapshot put Western Digital's market capitalization at $158.36 billion, with a 52-week range of $74.57 to $799.87 and a 50-day moving average of $552.24. A separate market note said the shares were down 7% to $429.49 during the session, underscoring how quickly momentum reversed around the storage group.
That contrast matters for investors because the earnings release delivered real operating strength, but the tape still punished the stock once expectations got ahead of the print. The result is a cleaner split between fundamentals and trading sentiment than the headline move alone suggests.
What the company sells
Western Digital's core business spans hard disk drives, solid-state drives, NAND flash components, and storage systems for PCs, servers, network-attached storage, and cloud customers. The product mix matters because the latest quarter showed cloud demand and enterprise storage still driving the revenue base.
Share price and setup
Western Digital shares were last quoted at $459.44 with a market capitalization of $158.36 billion as of August 24, 2026. The stock's 52-week band of $74.57 to $799.87 leaves the current level well below the top end but still far above the low.
Fact box
Company: Western Digital Corporation
ISIN: US9581021055
Ticker: WDC
Exchange: NASDAQ
Price (as of August 24, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET): $459.44 USD
Market cap: $158.36 billion (as of August 24, 2026)
Sector / Industry: Technology / Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Index membership: S&P 500
