Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on WWD. Melius Research upgraded Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday. Melius upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $305.56.

Woodward Stock Up 1.3%

Woodward stock opened at $326.04 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $292.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $265.27. The company has a market cap of $19.56 billion, a PE ratio of 45.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $329.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 1st quarter worth $2,039,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Woodward by 0.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Woodward by 35.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 684.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,199,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc (NASDAQ: WWD) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. Founded in 1870 and headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company specializes in motion control, fuel systems, actuation, and digital control solutions. Its offerings enable precision management of flow, pressure and motion in critical applications ranging from aircraft engines and power turbines to hydraulic systems.

Woodward’s product portfolio is organized into two primary segments: Aerospace and Industrial.