Western Digital Co. (NASDAQ:WDC) Shares Purchased by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Western Digital Co. (NASDAQ:WDC) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,691 shares of the data storage provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Western Digital were worth $1,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Western Digital by 278.9% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 413 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Western Digital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in Western Digital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Western Digital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Western Digital in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.51% of the company’s stock.

Western Digital Price Performance

Western Digital stock opened at $30.54 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.27 and a beta of 1.39. Western Digital Co. has a 52-week low of $29.76 and a 52-week high of $81.55.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The data storage provider reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.91 by ($0.36). Western Digital had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 15.68%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Western Digital Co. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Western Digital

In other Western Digital news, SVP Gene M. Zamiska sold 1,659 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.36, for a total value of $68,616.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 43,776 shares in the company, valued at $1,810,575.36. This represents a 3.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WDC. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Western Digital from $85.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Western Digital in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Benchmark lowered Western Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com lowered Western Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Western Digital from $74.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.21.

Western Digital Profile

Western Digital Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells data storage devices and solutions in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, rest of Asia, and internationally. It offers client devices, including hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid state drives (SSDs) for desktop and notebook personal computers (PCs), gaming consoles, and set top boxes; and flash-based embedded storage products for mobile phones, tablets, notebook PCs, and other portable and wearable devices, as well as automotive, Internet of Things, industrial, and connected home applications.