Analyst Sings Western Digital's Praises

Stifel upgraded WDC to "buy" from "hold"

Computer hardware manufacturer Western Digital Corp (NASDAQ:WDC) is staging a bounce off last Friday's two-month lows following a beaming bull note from Stifel. The analyst lifted its rating on WDC to "buy" from "hold," and hiked its price target to $73 from $63. Stifel noted that WDC's coronavirus-induced plummet last week creates an attractive entry point for traders, adding that the firm's fundamental 2020 outlook and structural demand remain intact.

The analyst note has WDC up 3.7% to trade at $57.19. Looking back, the equity lost 17.1% last week, marking its biggest weekly loss since Oct. 2018. The stock's 320-moving average deftly caught this sell-off, with the shares now clinging to an 11.1% year-over-year gain.

While the majority of analysts covering Western Digital are also optimistic, there's still plenty of room for upgrades. Currently eight of the 24 in coverage consider the security a "hold" or worse. Meanwhile, the consensus 12-month price target of $80.38 is at a healthy 40% premium to current levels, and sits at a level not touched by the equity since July 2018.

In the options pits, things are generally bullish as well. This is per the stock's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 2.61 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits in the 87th percentile of its annual range, meaning traders have had a bigger appetite for calls over puts than usual of late.