Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives $354.80 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $354.80.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $367.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a PE ratio of 46.30, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $403.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $361.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $301.44.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Woodward by 136.2% during the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,452,000 after purchasing an additional 395,726 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.