Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to a moderate buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $385.91.

Woodward Trading Up 5.3%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $394.83 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.54 billion, a PE ratio of 49.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward has a 52-week low of $162.85 and a 52-week high of $407.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $379.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $323.20.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm 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%.Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.