Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $390.2727.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $365.58 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $376.20 and a 200-day moving average of $331.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market cap of $21.78 billion, a PE ratio of 43.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.92. Woodward has a 52-week low of $193.06 and a 52-week high of $407.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.64, for a total transaction of $1,923,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,320,466.56. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 24,675 shares of company stock worth $9,371,515 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 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.