UPDATE: BofA Merrill Lynch Upgrades Western Digital Corp to Buy from Neutral, Raises PT from $87.00 to $102.00

In a report published Thursday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig upgraded Western Digital Corp.

to Buy from Neutral, raising its price target to $102.00 from $87.00 According to the report, the upgrade follows rising EPS estimates and higher normalized EPS, when coupled with a favorable capital allocation story, should continue to drive valuation to new highs. “While PC demand remains challenged, declines are moderating and December quarter industry TAM should surprise at low 140mn's versus prior guidance of 139mn,” the report noted. “Commentary from hardware OEMs/distributors such as HP, Synnex etc. has pointed to a modestly improved IT demand environment. This should benefit the HDD OEMs given 70%+ of HDDs are for PCs, which should drive revenue, margin, and EPS upside.” WDC closed Wednesday at $88.98 with shares trading up at 1.24 percent.