Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.50.

Woodward Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $371.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $370.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.49. The company has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.82, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors 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.