Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SMCI scored 72.0, WDC scored 71.9 — SMCI leads.
Compare another set
SMCI
Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Computer Hardware · Quality-Growth
72
$41.85 · $27.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.1
SMCI leads
WDC
Western Digital Corporation
Computer Hardware · Quality-Growth
71.9
$397.28 · $148.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthSMCI+77.8%
Strongest balance sheetWDC0.13
Highest qualityWDC70 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
SMCI
stronger →← stronger
WDC
52
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
70
98
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
78
74
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
68
SMCI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SMCI
WDC
-$7.0bF
FCF
$3.5bB
+77.8%A
Rev
+35.7%A
0.64C+
D/E
0.13B+
0.7xA
P/S
—
0.91B+
PEG
0.75A-
—
P/E
14.6xA-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
SMCI
WDC
—
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
197% above
—
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~47%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-74%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-66%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-53%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
SMCI
Why this score
Durable high returns
Diluting shareholders
WDC
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
Earnings outpace cash
The companies
SMCISuper Micro Computer, Inc.
Computer Hardware · $41.85 · beta 2.01
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $27.5b. Down 26% from 52-week high of $56.60 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +78% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.91 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $42.27 (implying +1% upside).
Moat
ROE 15% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$7.0b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Beta 2.01 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return.
WDCWestern Digital Corporation
Computer Hardware · $397.28 · beta 2.17
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $148.7b. Down 50% from 52-week high of $799.87 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +36% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.75 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $670.79 (implying +69% upside).
Moat
Net margin 73% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. $148.7b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Down 50% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 2.17 implies above-market volatility — position-size to the drawdowns this name will produce in a market correction, not to its bull-case return. P/S 11.5x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
SMCI leads WDC by 1.1 points (67.8 to 66.7). A contrarian could still prefer WDC for its stronger FCF (grade B). Note they play different roles — SMCI screens as spec, WDC screens as value — so the model rewards different traits for each.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where SMCI and WDC diverge
The two are effectively level on the headline score. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthSMCI 98.2 · WDC 78.3SMCI +19.9
QualitySMCI 51.6 · WDC 69.9WDC +18.3
ValueSMCI 73.8 · WDC 67.8SMCI +6.0
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is SMCI or WDC the better stock?
SMCI scores higher: SMCI 72.0, WDC 71.9 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do SMCI and WDC differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where SMCI leads by 20 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are SMCI and WDC scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.