Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Truist Financial

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Truist Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WWD. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $389.27.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $362.99 on Friday. Woodward has a 12 month low of $190.51 and a 12 month high of $407.00. The firm has a market cap of $21.64 billion, a PE ratio of 43.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $376.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $329.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 9.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% 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 quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Woodward during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% during the first 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 during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 684.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Woodward by 7.0% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $988,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Woodward by 11.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 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.