Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $393.00.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $431.97 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $375.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $358.79. Woodward has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $445.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $25.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position 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 boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after purchasing an additional 395,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.