NLST vs SMCI vs WDC Stock Comparison

Netlist, Super Micro Computer and Western Digital Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
NLST Netlist Inc
$6.93 +27.2% 1M +966.2% 1Y
Market cap
$2.05B
P/E
2,515x
Revenue (TTM)
$332.69M
Div. yield
–
Server and Storage Hardware Technology
4 wins
SMCI Super Micro Computer, Inc.
$34.43 -16.1% 1M -34.7% 1Y
Market cap
$19.56B
P/E
8.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$39.06B
Div. yield
–
Server and Storage Hardware Technology
1 win
WDC Western Digital Corp
$395.41 -12.8% 1M +179.7% 1Y
Market cap
$134.23B
P/E
13.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$14.48B
Div. yield
0.00%
Server and Storage Hardware Technology
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Western Digital leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Western Digital 6, Netlist 4, Super Micro Computer 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNLSTSMCIWDCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.05B $19.56B $134.23B WDC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 2,515x 8.8x 13.4x SMCI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 7.5x 7.6x 16.4x NLST
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +129.2% +77.8% +43.0% NLST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 0.2% 5.7% 69.2% WDC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 17.0% 53.8% WDC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -40.8x — -0.1x NLST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +966.2% -34.7% +179.7% NLST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.6%/yr +57.7%/yr +58.6%/yr WDC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 104.8% 95.8% 80.4% WDC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 45/100 57/100 79/100 WDC

Percentile Scorecard

NLSTSMCIWDC

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

AxisNLSTSMCIWDC
Valuation 8 #103 of 112 68 #37 of 112 49 #58 of 112
Growth 93 #9 of 108 73 #30 of 108 98 #3 of 108
Profitability 38 #65 of 104 55 #47 of 104 98 #3 of 104
Financial Health 52 #56 of 116 68 #38 of 116 67 #39 of 116
Shareholder Returns 34 #52 of 78 23 #60 of 78 83 #14 of 78
Overall 45 57 79
  • NLST ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • SMCI ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • WDC ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodNLSTSMCIWDCSPY
1 month +27.2%-16.1%-12.8% +0.7%
3 months +198.7%+24.2%-25.8% +3.7%
6 months +198.7%+25.7%-9.0% +7.1%
Year to date +678.7%+17.6%+129.5% +12.8%
1 year +966.2%-34.7%+179.7% +11.9%
3 years +468.0%+45.5%+1,151.7% +85.2%
3 years, per year +78.5%+13.3%+132.3% +22.8%
5 years -12.3%+872.6%+900.5% +67.6%
5 years, per year -2.6%+57.7%+58.6% +10.9%
10 years +518.7%+1,311.1%+783.6% +262.0%
10 years, per year +20.0%+30.3%+24.3% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureNLSTSMCIWDCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 104.8%95.8%80.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 95.2%97.9%82.1% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.014.033.17 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 9.22-0.362.23 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -93.2%-84.8%-55.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.1%-34.7%-47.0% -1.2%
52-week high $6.94$52.69$746.23 $779.14
52-week low $0.54$20.53$138.13 $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.

MultipleNLSTSMCIWDC
P/E now vs peer median 2,789xmedian 32.9x 9.3xmedian 32.9x 14.4xmedian 32.9x
P/S now vs peer median 7.0xmedian 2.9x 0.6xmedian 2.9x 10.2xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3,347xmedian 20.0x —median 20.0x 24.2xmedian 20.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median -149.0xmedian 30.2x -3.2xmedian 30.2x 34.5xmedian 30.2x
P/B now vs peer median 99.7xmedian 2.9x 1.6xmedian 2.9x 15.8xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 106.44median 1.08 0.23median 1.08 0.19median 1.08

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 monthsNLSTSMCIWDC
Revenue $332.69M $39.06B $14.48B
Gross profit $54.02M $4.23B $7.62B
Operating income $408.00K $2.77B $5.71B
Net income $789.00K $2.23B $10.02B
Free cash flow -$15.53M -$6.97B $4.29B
R&D $3.92M $771.23M $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $0.00 $3.20 $26.10
Cash & equivalents $30.66M $7.52B $1.31B
Total debt $10.94M $2.00B $12.58B
Shares (diluted) 370.75M 697.35M 384.00M
Enterprise value $1.96B $2.46B $124.06B

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
MetricNLSTSMCIWDC
P/E 2,789x 9.3x 14.4x
P/FCF -149.0x -3.2x 34.5x
P/Operating cash flow -149.1x -3.3x 30.4x
P/S 7.0x 0.6x 10.2x
P/B 99.7x 1.6x 15.8x
P/Tangible book 99.7x 1.6x 15.8x
EV/EBITDA 3,347x – 24.2x
EV/EBIT 5,603x 6.2x 25.8x
EV/Revenue 6.9x 0.4x 10.2x
EV/FCF -147.2x -2.5x 34.4x
EV/Operating cash flow -147.3x -2.5x 30.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 106.44 0.23 0.19

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNLSTSMCIWDC
Revenue growth (1Y) 129.2% 77.8% 43.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 64.2% 76.3% 57.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 1,221% 74.0% 85.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 127.6% 48.8% 126.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 101.1% 121.1% 104.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 26.2% 53.8% 85.5%
Net income growth (1Y) 102.1% 112.7% 288.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 26.3% 51.6% 83.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 101.6% 91.6% 286.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 26.2% 40.9% 75.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 48.8% -510.4% 108.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.4% -130.6% 88.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 48.8% -555.0% 121.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.5% -135.9% 66.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNLSTSMCIWDC
Gross margin 16.2% 10.8% 52.6%
EBITDA margin 0.2% – 42.1%
Operating margin 0.1% 7.1% 39.4%
Pretax margin 0.2% 7.1% 73.2%
Net margin 0.2% 5.7% 69.2%
FCF margin -4.7% -17.8% 29.6%
Operating cash flow margin -4.7% -17.4% 33.6%
Return on equity 4.7% 20.2% 110.0%
Return on assets 1.0% 8.4% 71.3%
Return on invested capital – 17.0% 53.8%
Return on capital employed 1.3% 14.2% 57.3%
Asset turnover 4.1x 1.5x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -19.7x -3.1x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% 1.1% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNLSTSMCIWDC
Debt / assets 3.8% 6.7% 5.5%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.1x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA -40.8x – -0.1x
Debt / FCF -0.2x -0.3x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 68.4% 51.6% 34.3%
Equity / assets 31.6% 48.4% 65.7%
Interest coverage – 14.2x 48.8x
Current ratio 1.4x 3.9x 1.4x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.9x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.6x 1.1x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 25.89 3.58 21.56

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNLSTSMCIWDC
Dividend yield – – 0.1%
Net buyback yield -1.1% -6.4% 2.0%
Shareholder yield -1.1% -6.4% 2.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 2.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 4.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 151.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusNLSTSMCIWDC
Forward P/E 7.5xFY2026 7.6xFY2027 16.4xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $0.92FY2026 $4.52FY2027 $24.04FY2027
EPS growth, next FY – +24.5%FY2027 +135.2%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after -4.3% +21.7% +70.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $691.20MFY2026 $74.04BFY2027 $20.04BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +266.4%FY2026 +89.6%FY2027 +55.1%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +26.3% +5.0% +39.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNLSTSMCIWDC
Held by institutions 0.0% 68.0% 93.7%
Institutions holding 4 775 1,847
Change in shares held, QoQ +146.0% +32.3% -1.3%
Institutions buying 3 451 1,128
Institutions selling 0 233 597
Buyers to sellers – 1.94 1.89

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.

NLSTSMCIWDC
NLST 1.00 0.16 0.15
SMCI 0.16 1.00 0.34
WDC 0.15 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NLST, SMCI and WDC?

Western Digital (WDC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Netlist (NLST) $2.05B, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) $19.56B, Western Digital (WDC) $134.23B.

Which stock is cheaper, NLST, SMCI and WDC?

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Netlist (NLST) 2,515x, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 8.8x, Western Digital (WDC) 13.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Netlist (NLST) is cheapest (Netlist (NLST) 7.5x, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 7.6x, Western Digital (WDC) 16.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Netlist (NLST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Netlist (NLST) +129.2%, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) +77.8%, Western Digital (WDC) +43.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Western Digital (WDC) has the highest net margin (Netlist (NLST) 0.2%, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 5.7%, Western Digital (WDC) 69.2%). On return on invested capital, Western Digital (WDC) leads (Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 17.0%, Western Digital (WDC) 53.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Netlist (NLST) returned the most: Netlist (NLST) +966.2%, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) -34.7%, Western Digital (WDC) +179.7%. Over five years, Western Digital (WDC) compounded fastest (Netlist (NLST) -2.6%/yr, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) +57.7%/yr, Western Digital (WDC) +58.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Netlist (NLST) 0.00%, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 0.00%, Western Digital (WDC) 0.00%. Netlist (NLST) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Western Digital (WDC) has been the steadiest (Netlist (NLST) 104.8%, Super Micro Computer (SMCI) 95.8%, Western Digital (WDC) 80.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NLST, SMCI and WDC?

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 6. 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.