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

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $354.80.

WWD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $380.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $325.86 and a 200-day moving average of $280.46. The stock has a market cap of $22.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.11%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the 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 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 47,450 shares of company stock valued at $14,706,235 in the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the first quarter worth $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.1% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,909 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in Woodward by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 3,218 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 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.