Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Hits New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Melius upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $319.75 and last traded at $321.8270, with a volume of 94130 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $310.86.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on WWD. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.78.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.6% in the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 2.8% during the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Woodward by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 3.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08. The stock has a market cap of $19.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $285.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.84.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The business had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 earnings per share. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.