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

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $298.7778.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th.

Key Stores Impacting Woodward

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in mid-December, dropping ~20.7% to 877,027 shares (about 1.5% of shares short) and a days-to-cover near 1.5 — less short pressure can reduce downside risk and supports momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Large inflows into the stock have been reported, which analysts and traders cite as a major driver of the recent rally. Big Money Inflows Send Woodward Skyward
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and headlines note WWD has hit a 52‑week high and strong multi‑quarter momentum — items that attract momentum investors and can amplify short-term buying. Woodward, Inc. (WWD) hit a 52-week high
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank maintained a Buy rating on WWD, providing analyst backing that supports investor confidence. Deutsche Bank maintains Woodward (WWD) buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Media/analyst notes point to strong underlying fundamentals and guidance (recent earnings beat and solid FY guidance have been cited in coverage), supporting the 12‑month ~85% appreciation story and continued momentum. WWD Stock Appreciates 85% in 12 Months
• Neutral Sentiment: One short-interest data point in the feed shows “0 shares” for Dec. 24 with NaN changes — this appears to be a reporting error and should not be interpreted as meaningful market information at this time.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $314.04 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $277.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $258.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market cap of $18.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.68, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $317.56.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The company’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 have sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 463 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Woodward by 4.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its position in Woodward by 80.0% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,769 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $700,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231 shares during the period. Harvest Investment Services LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,340,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in Woodward by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 35,704 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,781,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.