June 20, 2024
Top 10 Stock Western Digital Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: Western Digital – Top 10 Stock in Human Rights Leaders
Western Digital is listed as a top 10 stock on June 20, 2024 in the market index Human Rights because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is below average and thus a signal for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 54 (high 54% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for Western Digital on June 20, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Technology Hardware & Peripherals |
| Index | Human Rights, Recycling, NASDAQ 100, NASDAQ, S&P 500 |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View Western Digital Buy
| 360 METRICS | June 20, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 56 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 17 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 38 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 54 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 54 (better than 54% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock Western Digital are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Western Digital. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 56, which means that the share price of Western Digital is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 56% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The consolidated Growth Rank has a good rank of 100, which means that the company experiences above-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, and invested capital growth as well as stock returns. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 38. Professional investors are more confident in 62% other stocks. Worryingly, the company has risky financing, with a Safety rank of 17. This means 83% of comparable companies have a safer financing structure than Western Digital. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 54, Western Digital is better positioned than 54% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. Even though half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, namely the Value Rank at 56 and the Growth Rank above-average at 100, the picture is still mixed. The professional investor community is skeptical, with the Sentiment Rank below-average at 38. In addition, the company financing structure is on the riskier side (Safety Rank of 17). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. One may be tempted by above-average growth, but that could also change quickly, as past performance is not a good indicator of future performance. Since the financing structure is on the risky side, investors should be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for Western Digital only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 38 (better than 38% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock Western Digital is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the metrics below and half above average for Western Digital. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 62 (better than 62% of alternative investments), which means that, currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Analyst Opinions Change is also positive and has a rank of 64 which means that currently, stock research experts are getting even more optimistic about investments in Western Digital. But Market Pulse has a low rank of 16, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are on the negative side when discussing this company (more negative news than for 84% of competitors). This is an essential sign of caution, as it could be the forebearer of bad news. Professional Investors are also somewhat absent with a rank of 49, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 51% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. This is expected if the company is of a smaller size (medium or smaller). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 38 (less encouraging than 62% compared with investment alternatives), Western Digital has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. While the general news feeds in the professional market are negative, the analyst recommendations are optimistic about the company, and even increase their ratings despite the negative news. This is an ambiguous situation with positive and negative signals from the professional side. Investors should be on the lookout for negative news but not worry too much about it as long as the overall news is still positive. ...read more
Value Strategy: Western Digital Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 56 (better than 56% compared with alternatives), Western Digital shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Western Digital. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 58, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 58% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding Western Digital's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 81% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 69. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than Western Digital (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 56, is a buy recommendation based on Western Digital's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. ...read more
Growth Strategy: Western Digital Growth Momentum high
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Western Digital shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators above average for Western Digital. Sales Growth has a value of 98, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 98% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth with a value of 89 and for Capital Growth with 100. In addition, Stock Returns had an above-average rank value of 94, which means they have been higher than 94% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 100, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Since all Growth Ranks are positive, Western Digital exhibits above-average growth momentum. This could be due to a uniquely strong market position, proprietary technology, or an extensive corporate acquisition strategy. Growth investors will find this an attractive investment opportunity, unless they expect that the current phase is transitory and will deteriorate in the future. The current performance could also be a temporary recovery from a very low point, such as a turn-around situation. In the case of a turn-around, the current performance may or may not be followed by a continuing positive development. ...read more
Safety Strategy: Western Digital Debt Financing Safety risky
| SAFETY METRICS | June 20, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 44 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 46 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 12 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 17 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 17 (better than 17% compared with alternatives), the company Western Digital has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Western Digital is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for Western Digital. Liquidity is at 12, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 88% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 44, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 56% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 46 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 54% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 17 (worse than 83% compared with alternatives), Western Digital has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing.
Combined financial peformance: Western Digital Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | June 20, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 56 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 100 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 12 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 57 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with investment alternatives), Western Digital (Technology Hardware & Peripherals, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Western Digital are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 56 (better than 56% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 100) but are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 17), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on Western Digital's financial characteristics. As the company Western Digital's key financial metrics exhibit excellent performance in two areas, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 56) and above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 100), it could be argued that the risk-taking in financing (Obermatt Safety Rank of only 17) indicates that the company is optimistic about the future and sees debt as an opportunity to boost returns. More debt means more shareholder returns if everything goes well. However, higher debt burdens are risky when interest rates rise or the business deteriorates in a crisis. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. ...read more
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