ALAB vs. WDC: Astera Labs vs. Western Digital Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC) share the Information Technology sector but sit in different industry groups — ALAB in Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and WDC in Technology Hardware & Equipment.

Western Digital (WDC) carries decades of public-market history since October 31, 1978, while Astera Labs (ALAB) listed on March 20, 2024 — long-window comparisons have far more historical data on the WDC side.

Company profile comparison for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Profile Item	ALAB	WDC
Name	Astera Labs, Inc.	Western Digital Corp.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Technology Hardware & Equipment
GICS Industry	Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-Industry	Semiconductors	Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization	33.33 billion USD	98.74 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 20, 2024	October 31, 1978
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALAB

WDC

GSPC

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Total Return (1Y)	31.42%	78.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	--	106.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	--	47.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALAB

WDC

GSPC

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	101.55%	83.20%
Beta (5Y)	3.95	2.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-63.69%	-64.64%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.15M	8.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALAB and WDC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.27	0.90
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.39	1.32

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Western Digital (WDC) at 129.60% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Astera Labs (ALAB) at 28.21% also sits in the top quartile.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

28.21%

Max: 52.82%
ALAB: 28.21%
Q3: 22.26%
Median: 10.58%
Q1: 1.29%
Min: -16.89%

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

129.60%

WDC: 129.60%
Max: 42.47%
Q3: 19.13%
Median: 11.00%
Q1: 1.63%
Min: -20.62%

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Western Digital (WDC) at 69.20% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Astera Labs (ALAB) at 29.64% also retains a top-quartile share.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

29.64%

Max: 63.80%
ALAB: 29.64%
Q3: 28.36%
Median: 11.44%
Q1: 0.90%
Min: -37.77%

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

69.20%

WDC: 69.20%
Max: 27.60%
Q3: 11.66%
Median: 4.08%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -11.02%

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Western Digital (WDC) at 47.68% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Astera Labs (ALAB) at 30.61% also operates in the top quartile.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

30.61%

Max: 58.66%
ALAB: 30.61%
Q3: 30.23%
Median: 15.91%
Q1: 7.54%
Min: -25.74%

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

47.68%

WDC: 47.68%
Max: 36.27%
Q3: 18.36%
Median: 8.84%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -21.39%

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
ROE (TTM)	28.21%	129.60%
ROA (TTM)	13.41%	25.88%
Net Margin (TTM)	29.64%	69.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)	30.61%	47.68%
Gross Margin (TTM)	73.89%	52.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both companies are growing quickly, but Astera Labs (ALAB) at 115.13% is the standout with revenue growth above its industry range; Western Digital (WDC) at 35.70% also sits in the top quartile.

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Western Digital (WDC) reports EPS growth of 372.38%, ranked against its industry; Astera Labs (ALAB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	115.13%	35.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	120.18%	27.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	372.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Western Digital (WDC) at 1.43 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Astera Labs (ALAB) at 8.03 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

8.03

Max: 10.33
ALAB: 8.03
Q3: 5.62
Median: 3.33
Q1: 2.35
Min: 1.03

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.43

Max: 5.34
Q3: 3.02
Median: 1.95
WDC: 1.43
Q1: 1.32
Min: 0.17

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Astera Labs (ALAB) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Western Digital (WDC) at 0.10 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.02

Max: 1.46
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.04
ALAB: 0.02
Min: 0.00

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.10

Max: 1.76
Q3: 0.78
Median: 0.24
WDC: 0.10
Q1: 0.04
Min: 0.01

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	8.03	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.02	0.10
Net Debt / EBITDA	-3.23	-0.06

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Astera Labs (ALAB) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Western Digital (WDC) reports a yield of 0.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 1.37%
Q3: 0.65%
ALAB: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

0.21%

Max: 0.73%
Q3: 0.31%
WDC: 0.21%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Astera Labs (ALAB) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Western Digital (WDC) reports a payout of 1.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max: 49.64%
Q3: 21.71%
ALAB: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

1.93%

Max: 32.27%
Q3: 14.48%
WDC: 1.93%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	1.93%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Western Digital (WDC) at 9.28 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Astera Labs (ALAB) at 75.38 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

75.38

Max: 110.34
ALAB: 75.38
Q3: 66.81
Median: 37.02
Q1: 23.96
Min: 8.12

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

9.28

Max: 69.48
Q3: 41.02
Median: 26.39
Q1: 19.36
WDC: 9.28
Min: 6.07

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Astera Labs (ALAB) at 21.42 and Western Digital (WDC) at 6.82 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

21.42

ALAB: 21.42
Max: 21.42
Q3: 12.27
Median: 5.76
Q1: 2.73
Min: 0.00

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

6.82

Max: 11.30
WDC: 6.82
Q3: 5.82
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.05
Min: 0.00

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Western Digital (WDC) at 10.55 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Astera Labs (ALAB) at 16.67 prices even higher, above its industry range.

ALAB

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

16.67

ALAB: 16.67
Max: 14.06
Q3: 7.44
Median: 4.29
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.20

WDC

Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group

10.55

Max: 10.75
WDC: 10.55
Q3: 5.52
Median: 3.17
Q1: 1.79
Min: 0.33

Astera Labs (ALAB) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment and Technology Hardware & Equipment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Astera Labs (ALAB) and Western Digital (WDC)
Metric	ALAB	WDC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	75.38	9.28
P/S Ratio (TTM)	21.42	6.82
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	16.67	10.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	0.39%	2.76%