Stock fact sheet · data as of
Western Digital Corporation (WDC): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol WDC · Technology · Computer Hardware · United States · Growth
Is WDC undervalued?
WDC has a margin of safety of 43%: the stock closed at 323.83 on 5 Nov 2026 against a GLS average fair value of 570.12. 4 of the 9 valuation models that produced a number sit above the price. Our scans treat a discount this large as a strong starting point for a cash-secured put, not as a verdict - the fair value is a model output, and a wide gap can mean the models are missing something the market knows.
The 9 models disagree widely: DDM gives 8.09 while GLS Growth gives 1,676.19. A spread that wide means the average is sensitive to which methods you trust; the model table below shows where each one lands, and the Quote page lets you switch any of them off.
Ranked against every other company we cover, WDC is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 45, growth score 86, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for WDC
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 26.79 | -92% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 125.44 | -61% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 1,566.12 | +384% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 684.49 | +111% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 1,676.19 | +418% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 275.72 | -15% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 464.03 | +43% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 8.09 | -98% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 304.22 | -6% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 1.70 | -99% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 617.15 | +91% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
On financial health WDC scores 7/9 (Piotroski): most of the nine tests - positive earnings and cash flow, falling debt, rising margins and turnover - are passed, which is the kind of balance sheet a wheel trader is happy to be assigned. The GLS Moat score is low at 4.0 out of 10: returns on capital, margins or the balance sheet have not shown a lasting edge yet - often a young company, a thin-margin business or one that has only recently turned profitable.
Returns on capital are high - ROIC 95.0%, ROE 106.3%, ROA 68.0% - with debt at 0.12 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 3.5%.
The dividend yield is 0.17% with a payout ratio of 2% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Cloud 88%, Client Devices 7%, Retail Products 4% (quarter Q1 FY2027).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 6/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded Congressional buy was on 25 Sep 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 95.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 4.0 / 10 | ROE | 106.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.12 | ROA | 68.0% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 3.5% | Payout ratio | 2% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 6 / 10 |
Wheel Score 81: Good
WDC scores 81 out of 100 on the Wheel Score (Good band, 70-84): it passes all 9 Wheel Trade Filters. How it ranks: value strong, premium good, moat fair, health good, red flags good, option trading strong, stability fair; Moat (fair) holds it back.
Implied volatility is 76% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - above the 60% top of the sweet spot. It still passes the 25-80% filter, but the Wheel Score rewards it less because volatility this high usually comes with a reason. The option chain is deep: 188,880 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.
Volume runs at 7.2M shares a day on a market cap of $121.2B, with a beta of 2.28 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 43% below fair value | |
| Premium | Good | implied volatility 76% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 4.0/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Good | Red Flags score 85/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 41,962 contracts a day, 188,880 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 2.28, $121.2B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WDC in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 4 Dec 2026 (0.1750 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Computer Hardware
The 12 companies below are the closest to Western Digital Corporation by market cap within the Computer Hardware industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STX Seagate Technology Holdings plc | 557.06 | 487.86 | -14% | 41Weak | $127.9B |
| SNDK Sandisk Corporation | 1,037.40 | 2,827.96 | +63% | 50Fair | $147.6B |
| HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | 50.07 | 33.81 | -48% | 39Weak | $66.5B |
| ANET Arista Networks, Inc. | 178.48 | 120.08 | -49% | 47Weak | $225.1B |
| DELL Dell Technologies Inc. | 371.41 | 443.53 | +16% | 48Weak | $236.1B |
| P Everpure, Inc. | 111.77 | 14.71 | -660% | 34Weak | $37.2B |
| NTAP NetApp, Inc. | 187.67 | 122.18 | -54% | 45Weak | $36.9B |
| HPQ HP Inc. | 29.93 | 51.88 | +42% | 91Prime | $27.0B |
| SMCI Super Micro Computer, Inc. | 29.60 | 131.21 | +77% | 47Weak | $19.4B |
| LOGI Logitech International S.A. | 100.12 | 107.70 | +7% | 76Good | $14.2B |
| IONQ IonQ, Inc. | 29.54 | - | - | 25Weak | $12.7B |
| QNT Quantinuum Inc. Class A Common Stock | 32.75 | 11.95 | -174% | 25Weak | $8.6B |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about WDC
Is WDC undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 323.83 the stock is 43% below the average fair value of 570.12 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of WDC and what does it mean?
WDC scores 81 out of 100 (Good). The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for WDC?
570.12 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Western Digital Corporation report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WDC in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does WDC have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 912 listed contracts with 188,880 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 76% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.