COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
SMCI vs WDC
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SMCI scored 70.9, WDC scored 68.8 — SMCI leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. WDC's fundamentals are as of July 2026, but SMCI's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
SMCI
Super Micro Computer, Inc.
70.9
$36.50 · $23.6B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.1
SMCI leads
WDC
Western Digital Corporation
68.8
$469.05 · $169.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- Fastest growthSMCI+56.2%
- Strongest balance sheetWDC0.13
- Highest qualityWDC71 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
SMCI
stronger →← stronger
WDC
55
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
71
99
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
76
65
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
60
SMCI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SMCI
WDC
-$6.8bF
FCF
$3.5bB
+56.2%A
Rev
+35.7%A
0.64C+
D/E
0.13B+
0.7xA
P/S
—
0.91B+
PEG
0.88B+
—
P/E
17.4xA-
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
258% above
—
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~53%/yr
—
1-yr DCF upside
-78%
—
5-yr DCF upside
-72%
—
10-yr DCF upside
-60%
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
WDC
Why this score
- Diluting shareholders
- Earnings outpace cash
The companies
SMCISuper Micro Computer, Inc.
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $23.6b. Down 38% from 52-week high of $58.78 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +56% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.91 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 16 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $42.38 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
ROE 16% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately.
Risk
Free cash flow is negative (-$6.8b) — capital raises or debt issuance likely required; dilution / leverage risk. Down 38% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 1.97 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
Why now
Computer Hardware · market cap $169.1b. Down 41% from 52-week high of $799.87 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +36% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.88 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $664.92 (implying +42% upside).
Moat
Net margin 73% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. $169.1b 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 41% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Beta 2.22 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 13.1x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
SMCI leads WDC by 0.3 points (70.9 to 70.6). 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
On the headline score the gap is 2.1 points in favor of SMCI. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthSMCI 98.7 · WDC 75.8SMCI +22.9
- QualitySMCI 55.4 · WDC 71.4WDC +16.0
- ValueSMCI 65.3 · WDC 60.2SMCI +5.1
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a 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.