Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on the stock from $430.00 to $445.00. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock. Woodward traded as high as $402.95 and last traded at $398.7090, with a volume of 102563 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $388.50.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on WWD. UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 47,450 shares of company stock valued at $14,706,235. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 1.1%

The firm has a market cap of $23.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $320.46 and a 200-day moving average of $278.04.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The firm’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 14.11%.

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

Woodward Company Profile

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.