Analysts Set Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) PT at $312.00

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $323.8889.

WWD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $335.42 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $301.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $339.10.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $995.26 million during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the first quarter worth $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 684.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 4.9% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 32.5% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 220 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

About Woodward

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.