WDC — the engine's Play of the Day, fully scored
On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, WDC scored in the 97.6th percentile of Wall Street Analyst's 15-dimension scoring engine with a STRONG BUY signal, at $453.43 at publication, on a suggested horizon of 1–3 months. The full breakdown below is the engine's actual evidence, published the day of the call and graded in public afterward.
WDC lands in the 97.6th percentile on the strength of an elite fundamental profile (92.9): PEG of 0.28, 73% margins, 117.8% ROE, revenue up 36%, and a Quant Grade of A- backed by eight straight earnings beats averaging 14% surprise. Earnings quality (93.8) and analyst upside (87.7, target $648 vs. $453 entry) reinforce the case, even as momentum sits weak at 21.0 after a -24.2% three-month stretch. This is a fundamentals-led setup where the score reflects value and quality, not price trend.
A quality archetype for a 1-3 month horizon, positioned ahead of the October 29 earnings report as the depressed price catches up to the fundamentals. The current level near $453 sits well below the analyst target, giving the thesis room to be recognized.
The unusual put activity (28 flags, 14 bearish sweeps), heavy insider selling (20 filers, 21 C-suite, no buys), and sector laggard status vs. XLK (-31.1% 3mo) are warning signs; a soft October 29 print that breaks the eight-quarter beat streak, or a decisive breakdown below recent September lows near $412, would invalidate the setup.
The full case — all 15 dimensions
Every dimension the engine scored that day, with the actual evidence behind each number — including the ones that argue against the play. The twelve weighted dimensions come first; anything marked a supporting input is scored and shown, but reaches the composite through a capped confirmation bonus rather than a weighted share.
- Strong beat streak (8 consecutive quarters)
- Positive revision momentum (+1.00)
- Large average earnings surprise (+14.0%)
- Stable positive EPS estimates
- PEG undervalued (0.28)
- Strong growth (200%)
- Excellent margins (73.0%)
- Strong ROE (117.8%)
- Analyst target $648 vs $453.88 at scoring time (+43% implied)
- Wide target dispersion (low conviction)
- Quant Grade: A- (81/100)
- Value: D+
- Growth: A
- Profitability: A+
- Momentum: B
- Eps Revisions: A+
- Revenue +36% (explosive)
- Earnings +364%
- High net margin 73%
- MACD bullish crossover
- Price above key moving averages
- Insider selling activity (74 sells)
- Held by Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett), Bridgewater Associates (Dalio), Renaissance Technologies (Simons)
- High insider filing activity (20 Form 4s in 30d)
- Strong positive news sentiment (0.16)
- Strong analyst buy consensus (77%)
- Reddit mentions via ApeWisdom: 1 in 24h (vs 3 the day before; per-post sentiment n/a)
- StockTwits bullish (bull/bear ratio: 1.67)
- Moderate social media volume (31 total messages)
- Ticker is trending on StockTwits
- Partial coverage: scored on 50% of social sources (confidence scaled accordingly)
- 8Q consecutive earnings beats (avg 14.0% surprise)
- Insider cluster BUY (cluster feed, 3d window): 23 insiders, $228,371,474
- Sector laggard vs XLK (-6.1% 1mo, -31.1% 3mo)
- Excellent Sharpe ratio (2.14)
- High volatility (80%)
- Large max drawdown (-45%)
- High beta (2.27)
- Unusual PUT activity (28 flags)
- Bearish sweep activity (14 put sweeps)
- Weak 3-month momentum (-24.2%)
- 8 consecutive earnings beats
- avg surprise +14.0%
- EPS trending up
- Scope: OpenInsider Form 4 filings, last 90 days. Starts from a neutral 50 baseline; drivers below adjust it
- 20 distinct insiders selling (-20 pts)
- 21 C-suite sell(s) (-20 pts)
- Only insider sales, no buys (-10 pts)
A brief like this is generated from the engine's output every trading day. Today's Play is free — get it on the Play of the Day page or read how the 15 dimensions work.
The Play of the Day is the output of a quantitative scoring model, published for educational and informational purposes — it is not personalized investment advice, and Wall Street Analyst is not a registered investment advisor. Markets carry risk; past results don't guarantee future ones. Every decision is yours.