CHINA – 2021/04/23: In this photo illustration American computer hard drive and data … [+]
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Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) the stock price fell 30% from around $63 at the end of 2019 to nearly $45 currently, mainly due to unfavorable moves in its P/S multiple. This is surprising, as the company experienced an increase in revenue during this period and earnings per share increased, despite a 6% increase in the number of shares outstanding.
In our interactive dashboard, Why Western Digital Stock moved: WDC stock has lost 28% since 2019we break down the factors driving this movement.
WDC’s total revenue increased 14% from $16.6 billion in 2019 to $18.9 billion on an LTM basis
- WDC’s total revenue consistently hovered below $17 billion between FY2019 and FY21, but ironically it didn’t see a drop in sales due to Covid.
- Revenues have since risen sharply and currently stand at $18.9 billion on an LTM basis, primarily due to higher sales in East Asian countries.
- The company derives its sales almost equally from hard-drive-based and flash-based products, both of which account for about half of the company’s $16.9 billion in FY21 sales.
- For more details on WDC revenue and comparison with peers, see Western Digital Revenue Comparison
share price
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Earnings per share increased 7.2% from $56.69 in 2019 to $60.79 currently
- WDC’s revenue has grown from $16.6 billion in 2019 to $18.9 billion currently, while the number of shares outstanding has increased from 292 million in 2019 to 311 million currently.
- Because of this, the RPS has gone from $56.69 in fiscal year 2019 to $60.79 currently.
The Price-To-Sales (P/S) multiple for WDC has hovered between 1x and 1.2x from 2019 to 2021, but currently sits at 0.8x, well below its 2019 level
- Despite WDC’s consistent performance since the end of 2019, its P/S multiple remained stable between 1x and 1.2x until 2021.
- However, amid the current geopolitical tensions weighing on the broader markets, the P/S multiple has retreated and currently stands at around 0.8x.
- For more details on the company’s historical returns and comparison with its peers, see Western Digital Stock Returns.
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