A O Smith Corp vs Western Digital Corp — how do they compare? A O Smith Corp trades at $63.65 (market cap $8.65B), while Western Digital Corp trades at $459.02 (market cap $150.95B). The key difference: Western Digital Corp is far larger — about 17.5× A O Smith Corp's market cap, and A O Smith Corp pays the higher dividend (2.26%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AOS | WDC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.65B | $150.95B |
Sector | Industrials | Technology |
52-Week High | $80.47 | $746.23 |
52-Week Low | $55.78 | $74.66 |
Enterprise Value | $9.15B | $150.42B |
Dividend Yield | 2.26% | 0.14% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
A.O. Smith Corporation (AOS) trades at $62.53, showing modest daily gains of 0.19%. The stock maintains strong profitability with 13.15% net margins and 27.13% ROE, though recent Q1 2026 earnings missed expectations. Technical indicators suggest a bullish trend with the current price near key support at $62. Recent leadership transition with Kevin Wheeler's retirement and Stephen Shafer assuming chairman role adds management continuity.
The outlook remains cautiously optimistic with a $67.25 consensus price target offering 7.5% upside potential. Strong North American performance and dividend growth provide support, but higher input costs and weaker China demand present headwinds. The stock's valuation appears reasonable at 17.74 P/E, though recent Zacks Strong Sell ratings warrant monitoring.
Western Digital (WDC) trades at $454.50, up 3.74% in the last session, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamental performance. Recent earnings beats, including Q2 2026 EPS of $3.56 versus $3.31 expected, highlight robust AI-driven storage demand. The stock is near resistance at $458, with a consensus analyst price target of $665.15 suggesting significant upside potential.
Outlook is positive due to sustained AI infrastructure growth and margin expansion, but risks include valuation concerns and competitive threats. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 72% buy ratings, though technical indicators signal near-term caution. Investors should weigh strong earnings momentum against potential volatility from stretched valuations.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
A.O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets comprehensive lines of residential and commercial gas, gas tankless, and electric water heaters. Supplementary products include water heating equipment, condensing and noncondensing boilers, and water system tanks. The company's two operating segments are by geographic region: North America (majority of total revenue) and the Rest of the World. A material portion of sales in North America derive from replacing existing products, and the company utilizes a wholesale distribution channel and multiple selling locations. The Rest of the World segment sells primarily to Asian countries and operates sales offices to expand distribution and market its product portfolio.
Read more on AOS →Western Digital is a vertically integrated supplier of data storage solutions, spanning both hard disk drives and solid-state drives. In the HDD market it forms a practical duopoly with Seagate, and it is the largest global producer of NAND flash chips for SSDs in a joint venture with competitor Kioxia.
Read more on WDC →