Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $404.01 and last traded at $404.0150, with a volume of 54888 shares. The stock had previously closed at $399.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WWD. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.50.

Woodward Trading Down 2.5%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $379.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $321.30. 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 company has a market cap of $23.44 billion, a PE ratio of 49.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.98.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward’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. Analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,663,000 after acquiring an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $354,691,000 after acquiring an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after acquiring an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $297,014,000 after acquiring an additional 76,870 shares during the last quarter. 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.