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.
| Profile Item | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Name | SK hynix Inc. | Western Digital Corp. |
| Country/Region | South Korea | 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 | 897.97 billion USD | 98.74 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | July 10, 2026 | October 31, 1978 |
| Security Type | ADR | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -- | 78.89% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | -- | 106.11% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -- | 47.06% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 101.44% | 83.20% |
| Beta (5Y) | 5.36 | 2.35 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -37.62% | -64.64% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 20.78M | 8.01M |
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
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 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%
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%
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%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 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
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
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 26.88 | 1.43 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| 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%
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%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| 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
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
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
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | SKHY | WDC |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 8.12 | 9.28 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 0.00 | 6.82 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 3.95 | 10.55 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | 2.76% |