Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on WWD. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.56.

Woodward Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of WWD opened at $321.99 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $329.10. The company has a market cap of $19.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.02.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued 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 return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The firm had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Woodward during the second quarter worth about $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $73,406,000. 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.