Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for Woodward Earnings

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2027 earnings estimates for shares of Woodward in a note issued to investors on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the technology company will post earnings of $2.27 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.95. The consensus estimate for Woodward’s current full-year earnings is $6.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Woodward’s FY2027 earnings at $9.10 EPS.

WWD has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Truist Financial upped 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. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.67.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $293.23 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $304.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $273.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $255.59.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The company had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS.

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

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 over the last 90 days. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors 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 stake in shares of Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,406,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.