Seagate Technology (STX) Competitors

Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX) and Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings and media sentiment.

Do analysts rate STX or WDC?

Seagate Technology presently has a consensus price target of $130.00, indicating a potential downside of 11.40%. Western Digital has a consensus price target of $65.26, indicating a potential downside of 2.62%. Given Western Digital's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Western Digital is more favorable than Seagate Technology.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Seagate Technology	1 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.62
Western Digital	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	18 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.86

Which has more volatility & risk, STX or WDC?

Seagate Technology has a beta of 1.45, meaning that its stock price is 45% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Western Digital has a beta of 1.54, meaning that its stock price is 54% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is STX or WDC more profitable?

Seagate Technology has a net margin of 17.49% compared to Western Digital's net margin of 13.33%. Western Digital's return on equity of 20.58% beat Seagate Technology's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Seagate Technology	17.49%	-105.02%	15.80%
Western Digital	13.33%	20.58%	9.01%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, STX or WDC?

Seagate Technology has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Western Digital. Western Digital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Seagate Technology, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Seagate Technology	$6.55B	4.75	$335M	$6.92	21.20
Western Digital	$13.00B	1.80	-$798M	$5.28	12.69

Does the media prefer STX or WDC?

In the previous week, Seagate Technology had 7 more articles in the media than Western Digital. MarketBeat recorded 32 mentions for Seagate Technology and 25 mentions for Western Digital. Seagate Technology's average media sentiment score of 0.98 beat Western Digital's score of 0.57 indicating that Seagate Technology is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Seagate Technology	15 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Western Digital	6 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders & institutionals believe in STX or WDC?

92.9% of Seagate Technology shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.5% of Western Digital shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Seagate Technology shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of Western Digital shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is STX or WDC a better dividend stock?

Seagate Technology pays an annual dividend of $2.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Western Digital pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Seagate Technology pays out 41.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Western Digital pays out 7.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Seagate Technology has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Seagate Technology is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Seagate Technology beats Western Digital on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.