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

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $312.00.

WWD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Melius upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $366.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, January 9th.

Woodward Stock Down 0.9%

WWD stock opened at $333.06 on Monday. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $338.17. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $298.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.02.

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,663,000 after buying an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $354,691,000 after acquiring an additional 8,307 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $224,391,000 after purchasing an additional 18,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth $201,555,000. Hedge funds and other 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.