SNDK vs WDC Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Following Western Digital's 2025 spinoff, Sandisk is now the pure-play NAND flash memory company while Western Digital retains the pure-play hard disk drive business, splitting what was once a single diversified storage company into two more focused storage plays. Sandisk offers more direct exposure to flash memory pricing cycles, while Western Digital offers more direct exposure to nearline HDD demand for bulk cloud and AI data storage.
Use this SNDK vs WDC comparison to evaluate two now-separate, more focused storage businesses that used to be combined. Sandisk's fortunes track NAND flash pricing and its Kioxia joint venture economics; Western Digital's fortunes track nearline HDD demand and its ability to keep cost-per-terabyte competitive against flash.
SNDK holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SNDK leads on both 1-year return (+866.62%) and forward P/E quality (5.87x vs 12.40x for WDC), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. SNDK leads on both revenue growth (371.60%) and operating margin (78.47%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for WDC (+68.85%) than for SNDK (+36.80%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want pure-play exposure to NAND flash memory pricing cycles and AI-driven storage demand
- Believe the Kioxia joint venture provides durable manufacturing cost advantages
- Are comfortable with the historical cyclicality of flash memory pricing
- Want to evaluate a recently spun-off company navigating standalone execution
- Want pure-play exposure to nearline hard disk drive demand for cloud and AI bulk data storage
- Believe HDDs will retain a durable cost-per-terabyte advantage over flash for bulk storage
- Prefer a more focused, simplified business post-spinoff
- Are comfortable with cyclical enterprise and cloud capital expenditure trends
| Metric | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 92.3 | 71.2 |
| AI ranki | #2 | #28 |
| Latest closei | $1,394.83 | $356.45 |
| 1M returni | -8.89% | -13.47% |
| 3M returni | -1.15% | -23.64% |
| 6M returni | +51.70% | -1.45% |
| 1Y returni | +866.62% | +195.96% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $96.68K (+866.8%) started 2025-10-16 | $28.31K (+183.1%) started 2025-10-16 |
| 5Y ago | $387.45K (+3774.5%) started 2025-02-13 | $85.12K (+751.2%) started 2021-10-18 |
| 10Y ago | $387.45K (+3774.5%) started 2025-02-13 | $93.21K (+832.1%) started 2016-10-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $227.45B | $148.71B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 21.06 | 14.76 |
| Forward P/Ei | 5.87 | 12.40 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | 1.24 |
| EV/Revenuei | 11.01 | 11.06 |
| Analyst targeti | $2,125.09 | $670.79 |
| Target upsidei | +36.80% | +68.85% |
| Metric | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 371.60% | 43.80% |
| Earnings growthi | N/A | 984.10% |
| EPS growthi | N/A | +984.10% |
| FCF margini | +38.13% | +17.56% |
| Operating margini | 78.47% | 43.61% |
| Profit margini | 56.46% | 72.95% |
| ROIC proxyi | 91.64% | 130.85% |
| Return on equityi | 91.64% | 130.85% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 0.15% |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 1.86% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | No increase yet |
| Betai | N/A | 2.17 |
| Debt/equityi | 1.28 | 13.44 |
| Current ratioi | 2.29 | 1.33 |
| Quick ratioi | 1.71 | 0.85 |
Over the past year, SNDK and WDC have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.72), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +866.82% | +183.08% |
| CAGRi | +870.20% | +183.53% | |
| Volatilityi | 113.22% | 80.20% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 2.54 | 1.65 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 4.30 | 2.56 | |
| Max drawdowni | 56.49% | 52.23% | |
| Current drawdowni | 40.26% | 52.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 15.66% | 14.58% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 21.10% | 21.44% | |
| Max daily dropi | 20.33% | 13.17% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 36.48% | 21.41% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +3774.53% | +751.23% |
| CAGRi | +793.52% | +53.53% | |
| Volatilityi | 104.15% | 53.28% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 2.58 | 0.99 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 4.40 | 1.51 | |
| Max drawdowni | 56.49% | 55.32% | |
| Current drawdowni | 40.26% | 52.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.75% | 22.02% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 22.01% | 27.43% | |
| Max daily dropi | 21.30% | 18.26% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 38.51% | 24.82% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +3774.53% | +809.22% |
| CAGRi | +793.52% | +24.71% | |
| Volatilityi | 104.15% | 50.49% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 2.58 | 0.60 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 4.40 | 0.87 | |
| Max drawdowni | 56.49% | 72.21% | |
| Current drawdowni | 40.26% | 52.23% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.75% | 37.43% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 22.01% | 43.14% | |
| Max daily dropi | 21.30% | 20.44% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 38.51% | 35.33% |
| Category | SNDK | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Sandisk Corporation | Western Digital Corporation |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | Computer Hardware | Computer Hardware |
| Core business | Pure-play NAND flash memory and storage company spun off from Western Digital in 2025, producing flash storage products including SSDs, memory cards, and USB drives, with NAND manufacturing conducted through its joint venture with Kioxia. | Pure-play hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturer following its 2025 spinoff of the NAND flash business (Sandisk), focused on high-capacity nearline HDDs for cloud and enterprise data center storage, including AI-driven bulk data storage demand. |
| Investor focus | NAND flash pricing trends, joint venture output and cost economics with Kioxia, demand from AI-driven data center and consumer storage needs, and standalone balance sheet management post-spinoff. | Nearline HDD demand from cloud and AI data center customers, areal density roadmap progress (e.g., HAMR technology), pricing and margin trends, and capital allocation as a leaner, focused HDD company. |
- Pure-play focus on NAND flash allows more direct exposure to flash memory pricing cycles and AI-driven storage demand
- Long-standing Kioxia joint venture provides scaled, cost-competitive NAND manufacturing capacity
- Established brand recognition in consumer and enterprise flash storage products
- Pure-play focus on high-capacity nearline HDDs benefits from AI-driven bulk data storage growth, since HDDs remain the lowest-cost-per-terabyte storage medium
- Long-standing relationships with major cloud providers for enterprise storage supply
- Simplified, more focused business post-spinoff allows clearer capital allocation and margin management
- NAND flash pricing is historically cyclical and can swing sharply with supply and demand imbalances
- Standalone company execution risk following its 2025 spinoff from Western Digital, including capital structure and cost allocation
- Competitive pressure from larger, more diversified memory manufacturers such as Samsung and SK Hynix
- HDD demand could face longer-term share loss to NAND flash / SSDs as flash cost-per-terabyte continues to decline
- Cyclical enterprise and cloud capital expenditure trends directly affect nearline HDD order volume
- Execution risk on next-generation areal density technology needed to maintain a cost-per-terabyte advantage
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