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SKHY vs. WDC: SK hynix vs. Western Digital Stock Comparison

How do SK hynix (SKHY) 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

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

Western Digital (WDC) has been public since October 31, 1978, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while SK hynix (SKHY) listed only on July 10, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Western Digital (WDC) trades as ordinary local shares, while SK hynix (SKHY) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
Profile ItemSKHYWDC
NameSK hynix Inc.Western Digital Corp.
Country/RegionSouth KoreaUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentTechnology Hardware & Equipment
GICS IndustrySemiconductors & Semiconductor EquipmentTechnology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
GICS Sub-IndustrySemiconductorsTechnology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
Market Capitalization897.97 billion USD98.74 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateJuly 10, 2026October 31, 1978
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

SKHY
WDC
GSPC
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Total Return (1Y)--78.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)--106.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)--47.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

SKHY
WDC
GSPC
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)101.44%83.20%
Beta (5Y)5.362.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)-37.62%-64.64%
Avg. Volume (3M)20.78M8.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both SKHY and WDC need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)--0.90
Sortino Ratio (1Y)--1.32

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both SK hynix (SKHY) at 92.54% and Western Digital (WDC) at 129.60% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

92.54%

SKHY
92.54%
Max
52.82%
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%
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

Both SK hynix (SKHY) at 70.27% and Western Digital (WDC) at 69.20% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

70.27%

SKHY
70.27%
Max
63.80%
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%
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

Before financing and tax, both SK hynix (SKHY) at 79.66% and Western Digital (WDC) at 47.68% run unusually efficient core operations — each operating margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

79.66%

SKHY
79.66%
Max
58.66%
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%
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
ROE (TTM)92.54%129.60%
ROA (TTM)46.43%25.88%
Net Margin (TTM)70.27%69.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)79.66%47.68%
Gross Margin (TTM)77.38%52.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both SK hynix (SKHY) at 46.76% and Western Digital (WDC) at 35.70% sit in the top peer quartile for revenue growth, so each is growing its top line faster than typical industry peers.

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SK hynix (SKHY) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both companies show strong earnings momentum, but Western Digital (WDC) at 372.38% is the standout with EPS growth above its industry range; SK hynix (SKHY) at 112.46% also sits in the top quartile.

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SK hynix (SKHY) vs. Western Digital (WDC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Revenue Growth (YoY)46.76%35.70%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)29.61%27.35%
EPS Growth (YoY)112.46%372.38%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)165.07%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Western Digital (WDC) at 1.43 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while SK hynix (SKHY) at 26.88 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

26.88

SKHY
26.88
Max
10.33
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
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

Both SK hynix (SKHY) at 0.05 and Western Digital (WDC) at 0.10 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.05

Max
1.46
Q3
0.65
Median
0.27
SKHY
0.05
Q1
0.04
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
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Current Ratio (MRQ)26.881.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.050.10
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.46-0.06

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Western Digital (WDC) at 0.21% pays an industry-typical yield; SK hynix (SKHY) at 2,118.64% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

2,118.64%

SKHY
2,118.64%
Max
1.37%
Q3
0.65%
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%
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

SK hynix (SKHY) 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.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00%

Max
49.64%
Q3
21.71%
SKHY
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%
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
Dividend Yield (TTM)2,118.64%0.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%1.93%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both SK hynix (SKHY) at 8.12 and Western Digital (WDC) at 9.28 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

8.12

Max
110.34
Q3
66.81
Median
37.02
Q1
23.96
SKHY
8.12
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
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

SK hynix (SKHY) at 0.00 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Western Digital (WDC) at 6.82 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

0.00

Max
21.42
Q3
12.27
Median
5.76
Q1
2.73
SKHY
0.00
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
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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)

SK hynix (SKHY) at 3.95 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Western Digital (WDC) at 10.55 carries an above-peer premium to book — WDC is pricier on assets.

SKHY

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment industry group

3.95

Max
14.06
Q3
7.44
Median
4.29
SKHY
3.95
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
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SK hynix (SKHY) 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 SK hynix (SKHY) and Western Digital (WDC)
MetricSKHYWDC
P/E Ratio (TTM)8.129.28
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.006.82
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.9510.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--2.76%