PSTG vs WDC Stock Comparison
PSTG currently leads WDC in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 57 vs 43. The clearest difference is risk resilience, while WDC has the stronger quality profile.
What is the main difference between PSTG and WDC?
PSTG leads the current stock comparison as Pure Storage Inc., with the clearest separation coming from risk resilience and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Pure Storage Inc. vs Western Digital Corporation
PSTG leads
PSTG leads by 14 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience, and the lead has widened from 3 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors WDC on target upside.
Competitive: 3 of 6 evidence groups support PSTG, and its lead is widening.
Pure Storage Inc.
Western Digital Corporation
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors PSTG over WDC, 57 versus 43 as of Oct 21, 2026. PSTG's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience, while WDC holds the stronger quality profile. PSTG also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors WDC. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PSTG today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. PSTG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 14 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Pure Storage Inc. and Western Digital Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare PSTG and WDC against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience73 vs 29PSTG +44
- Quality75 vs 90WDC +15
- Value31 vs 32Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor PSTG. PSTG’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience; WDC keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session.
Largest factor move: Momentum +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
PSTG's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — PSTG and WDC both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
PSTG (Pure Storage Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by risk resilience.
WDC (Western Digital Corporation): the counter-case, on quality, fundamentals, analyst expectations — but at materially higher volatility, 67.4% against 48.7%.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
PSTGPSTG on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
WDCWDC on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
PSTGPSTG on Risk Resilience, by 44 points.
Analyst upside
WDCWDC on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors PSTG, analyst targets favor WDC. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | PSTG | WDC | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +0.9% | +51.9% | WDC has more room |
| Target dispersion | 0% | +117.4% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 1 | 12 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PSTG. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | PSTG | 57 vs 43 |
| Fundamentals | WDCon balance | TTM ROE 17.4% vs 118.6%; gross margin 69.7% vs 48.9%; operating margin 5.3% vs 34.9% — WDC takes 2 of 3 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | Even | Value 31 vs 32 |
| Technicals | PSTG | Price vs 50-day 32.1% vs -13.8%; vs 200-day -5.7% vs -11.6% |
| Risk Resilience | PSTG | Risk Resilience 73 vs 29 |
| Analyst expectations | WDC | Target upside 0.9% vs 51.9% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of PSTG and WDC and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is wide at 14 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on PSTG.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20PSTG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 14 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- PSTG +14
- 57 vs 43
- 7 sessions ago
- PSTG +14
- 57 vs 43
- 30 sessions ago
- PSTG +3
- 57 vs 54
- 90 sessions ago
- WDC +3
- 56 vs 59
The lead changed hands 7 times in this window, most recently on Sep 23 when WDC moved ahead of PSTG.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
No active signals
No signal that the other name lacks.
1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only WDC
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.49%)
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (6.92%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
WDC is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +3.89%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1WDC closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 44 points behind, the largest single contributor to PSTG's edge.
- 2WDC's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it.
- 3PSTG starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
WDC leads on balance| Metric | PSTG | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | -0.6% | 12.3% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -75.8% | -0.3% |
| Gross margin | 69.7% | 48.9% |
| Operating margin | 5.3% | 34.9% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 17.4% | 118.6% |
| Debt to equity | 0.15 | 0.12 |
Performance
Split across windows| Metric | PSTG | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 12.6% | -4.3% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 5.3% | -21.6% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -3.9% | -34.6% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -26.7% | -5.1% |
| Year to date | 1.2% | 111.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 63.7% | 191.1% |
Technicals
PSTG has the stronger structure| Metric | PSTG | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 62.7 | 30.5 |
| ADX (14) | 14.7 | 28.4 |
| Price vs 50-day | 32.1% | -13.8% |
| Price vs 200-day | -5.7% | -11.6% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 48.7% | 67.4% |
Risk
PSTG is the more resilient| Metric | PSTG | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 2.36 | 3.03 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.39 | 1.67 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.43 | 2.76 |
| Max drawdown | -42.3% | -55.5% |
| Current drawdown | -31.3% | -51.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 63.5% | 81% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -5.7% | -8% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, PSTG or WDC?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, PSTG is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 57 against WDC's 43. The edge comes from risk resilience. WDC is not without a case — it holds the better quality profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is PSTG or WDC the better buy right now?
PSTG carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
Why does the AIQ Score favor PSTG over WDC?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. PSTG leads Risk Resilience by 44 points; WDC leads Quality by 15 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, PSTG or WDC?
Analyst price targets imply +0.9% upside for PSTG and +51.9% for WDC, so the Street currently favors WDC. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors PSTG. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, PSTG or WDC?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, PSTG or WDC?
WDC on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, PSTG or WDC?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, PSTG or WDC?
PSTG is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. PSTG on Risk Resilience, by 44 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is PSTG more profitable than WDC?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 69.7% vs 48.9%; operating margin 5.3% vs 34.9%; ttm roe 17.4% vs 118.6%. PSTG leads on one measure and WDC on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is PSTG's lead over WDC getting stronger or weaker?
PSTG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 14 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 7 times in that window, most recently on 2026-09-23, when WDC moved ahead of PSTG.
What would change the PSTG vs WDC verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: WDC closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 44 points behind, the largest single contributor to PSTG's edge; WDC's MACD Bearish Crossover resolves — a bearish momentum rule currently active against it; PSTG starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about PSTG and WDC?
PSTG: No active signals. WDC: 1 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. On WDC it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare PSTG and WDC with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.