Western Digital Upgraded: Salomon Brothers Inc. said...

Western Digital Upgraded: Salomon Brothers Inc. said Monday that it is changing its recommendation to investors in Irvine’s Western Digital Corp. from “hold” to “buy.”

Western Digital, Orange County’s largest technology company, makes disk drives, chips and other equipment for manufacturers of microcomputers.

The New York brokerage said the higher investment rating reflects better profit margins in the computer disk-drive business. And the computer chip business, Salomon Brothers said, is profitable enough to justify a higher share price. In Monday’s trading on the American Stock Exchange, Western Digital’s stock showed little change, gaining 37.5 cents a share to close at $8.125.