DLB vs WDC vs PDFS Stock Comparison

Dolby Laboratories, Western Digital and Pdf Solutions Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
DLB Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
$62.74 +7.0% 1M -7.2% 1Y
Market cap
$5.91B
P/E
26.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.35B
Div. yield
2.30%
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
3 wins
WDC Western Digital Corp
$380.88 -16.6% 1M +200.7% 1Y
Market cap
$142.57B
P/E
13.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.48B
Div. yield
0.15%
Server and Storage Hardware Technology
8 wins
PDFS Pdf Solutions Inc
$44.23 -10.7% 1M +54.0% 1Y
Market cap
$1.85B
P/E
175.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$241.18M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor EDA Software Technology
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Western Digital leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Western Digital 8, Dolby Laboratories 3, Pdf Solutions 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDLBWDCPDFSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.91B $142.57B $1.85B WDC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.1x 13.9x 175.6x WDC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 14.0x 15.8x 32.5x DLB
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +0.6% +43.0% +23.0% WDC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.7% 69.2% 4.3% WDC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 53.8% 3.1% WDC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — -0.1x -1.3x PDFS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.30% 0.15% — DLB
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -7.2% +200.7% +54.0% WDC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -6.4%/yr +54.5%/yr +13.9%/yr WDC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.2% 81.3% 69.4% DLB
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 66/100 77/100 48/100 WDC

Percentile Scorecard

DLBWDCPDFS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisDLBWDCPDFS
Valuation 87 #13 of 94 51 #55 of 112 40 #57 of 94
Growth 25 #69 of 92 98 #3 of 109 86 #14 of 92
Profitability 72 #26 of 90 97 #4 of 104 43 #52 of 90
Financial Health 60 #40 of 99 66 #40 of 116 54 #46 of 99
Shareholder Returns 85 #12 of 73 73 #23 of 81 15 #62 of 73
Overall 66 77 48
  • DLB ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • WDC ranked among 122 companies in Computer Hardware
  • PDFS ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodDLBWDCPDFSSPY
1 month +7.0%-16.6%-10.7% -0.2%
3 months +19.5%-17.8%-0.8% +3.9%
6 months -0.3%-2.6%+10.3% +8.2%
Year to date -2.3%+121.1%+55.0% +12.9%
1 year -7.2%+200.7%+54.0% +12.3%
3 years -20.2%+1,192.9%+62.1% +87.4%
3 years, per year -7.3%+134.8%+17.5% +23.3%
5 years -28.2%+779.6%+91.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -6.4%+54.5%+13.9% +10.9%
10 years +29.9%+745.8%+129.8% +261.1%
10 years, per year +2.7%+23.8%+8.7% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureDLBWDCPDFSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.2%81.3%69.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.5%82.1%71.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.543.173.08 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.242.470.78 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -49.6%-55.5%-65.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.2%-49.0%-37.5% -1.2%
52-week high $69.09$746.23$70.79 $779.14
52-week low $48.50$124.92$23.97 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleDLBWDCPDFS
P/E now vs peer median 26.1xmedian 45.6x 13.9xmedian 33.2x 175.6xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 4.4xmedian 7.7x 9.8xmedian 2.8x 7.7xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 15.8xmedian 29.0x 23.3xmedian 20.0x 48.3xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.1xmedian 40.6x 33.2xmedian 29.8x -1,026xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 4.6x 15.3xmedian 3.0x 5.0xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 12.55median 2.28 0.18median 1.17 83.48median 2.28

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsDLBWDCPDFS
Revenue $1.35B $14.48B $241.18M
Gross profit $1.19B $7.62B $172.35M
Operating income $239.10M $5.71B $19.66M
Net income $228.00M $10.02B $10.31M
Free cash flow $392.67M $4.29B -$1.81M
R&D $265.94M $1.15B $70.34M
EPS (diluted) $2.39 $26.10 $0.25
Cash & equivalents $669.39M $1.31B $114.88M
Total debt – $12.58B $66.52M
Shares (diluted) 94.52M 384.00M 41.78M
Enterprise value $3.31B $132.40B $1.63B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricDLBWDCPDFS
P/E 26.1x 13.9x 175.6x
P/FCF 15.1x 33.2x -1,026x
P/Operating cash flow 13.5x 29.3x 47.9x
P/S 4.4x 9.8x 7.7x
P/B 2.3x 15.3x 5.0x
P/Tangible book 2.7x 15.3x 5.7x
EV/EBITDA 15.8x 23.3x 48.3x
EV/EBIT 21.9x 24.9x 91.8x
EV/Revenue 3.9x 9.8x 7.5x
EV/FCF 13.4x 33.1x -999.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 12.0x 29.2x 46.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 12.55 0.18 83.48

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDLBWDCPDFS
Revenue growth (1Y) 0.6% 43.0% 23.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 1.7% 57.4% 14.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.5% 85.2% 23.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 1.5% 126.7% 14.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) -15.1% 104.4% 10,088%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -1.0% 85.5% 57.7%
Net income growth (1Y) -14.2% 288.7% 1,100%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 1.3% 83.2% 4.4%
EPS growth (1Y) -12.3% 286.8% 1,028%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 2.1% 75.8% 2.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -6.0% 108.7% 170.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.5% 88.3% 26.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -10.4% 121.1% 85.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.3% 66.0% -29.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDLBWDCPDFS
Gross margin 87.6% 52.6% 71.5%
EBITDA margin 24.5% 42.1% 15.5%
Operating margin 17.7% 39.4% 8.2%
Pretax margin 20.4% 73.2% 6.9%
Net margin 16.7% 69.2% 4.3%
FCF margin 29.0% 29.6% -0.7%
Operating cash flow margin 32.3% 33.6% 16.0%
Return on equity 8.7% 110.0% 3.2%
Return on assets 7.1% 71.3% 2.2%
Return on invested capital – 53.8% 3.1%
Return on capital employed 8.6% 57.3% 4.9%
Asset turnover 0.4x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 0.5x 3.8x
Stock comp / revenue 9.6% 1.6% 10.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDLBWDCPDFS
Debt / assets – 5.5% 12.8%
Debt / equity – 0.1x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA – -0.1x -1.3x
Debt / FCF – 0.2x -36.9x
Liabilities / assets 17.9% 34.3% 28.3%
Equity / assets 82.1% 65.7% 71.7%
Interest coverage – 48.8x 4.3x
Current ratio 3.2x 1.4x 3.4x
Quick ratio 3.1x 0.9x 3.4x
Cash ratio 1.6x 0.3x 1.6x
Altman Z-score 8.47 20.89 8.35

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDLBWDCPDFS
Dividend yield 2.3% 0.1% –
Net buyback yield 3.5% 2.1% -4.6%
Shareholder yield 5.8% 2.3% -4.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 58.9% 2.0% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 34.2% 4.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.6% 151.3% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.6% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusDLBWDCPDFS
Forward P/E 14.0xFY2026 15.8xFY2027 32.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.49FY2026 $24.04FY2027 $1.36FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.9%FY2026 +135.2%FY2027 +44.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +4.7% +70.9% +16.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.50BFY2026 $20.04BFY2027 $273.57MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.1%FY2026 +55.1%FY2027 +24.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -7.7% +39.2% +13.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDLBWDCPDFS
Held by institutions 100.0% 93.7% 93.0%
Institutions holding 389 1,846 283
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.8% -1.3% +20.8%
Institutions buying 195 1,127 191
Institutions selling 148 597 61
Buyers to sellers 1.32 1.89 3.13

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

DLBWDCPDFS
DLB 1.00 0.00 0.09
WDC 0.00 1.00 0.57
PDFS 0.09 0.57 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DLB, WDC and PDFS?

Western Digital (WDC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Dolby Laboratories (DLB) $5.91B, Western Digital (WDC) $142.57B, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) $1.85B.

Which stock is cheaper, DLB, WDC and PDFS?

Western Digital (WDC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 26.1x, Western Digital (WDC) 13.9x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 175.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) is cheapest (Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 14.0x, Western Digital (WDC) 15.8x, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 32.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Western Digital (WDC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Dolby Laboratories (DLB) +0.6%, Western Digital (WDC) +43.0%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +23.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Western Digital (WDC) has the highest net margin (Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 16.7%, Western Digital (WDC) 69.2%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 4.3%). On return on invested capital, Western Digital (WDC) leads (Western Digital (WDC) 53.8%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 3.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Western Digital (WDC) returned the most: Dolby Laboratories (DLB) -7.2%, Western Digital (WDC) +200.7%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +54.0%. Over five years, Western Digital (WDC) compounded fastest (Dolby Laboratories (DLB) -6.4%/yr, Western Digital (WDC) +54.5%/yr, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) +13.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Dolby Laboratories (DLB) has the highest dividend yield: Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 2.30%, Western Digital (WDC) 0.15%. Pdf Solutions (PDFS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Dolby Laboratories (DLB) has been the steadiest (Dolby Laboratories (DLB) 30.2%, Western Digital (WDC) 81.3%, Pdf Solutions (PDFS) 69.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DLB, WDC and PDFS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Western Digital (WDC) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.