Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on WWD. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $425.44 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $378.65 and its 200-day moving average is $362.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 1st quarter worth approximately $161,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 27.3% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,692 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,185,000 after purchasing an additional 2,509 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 82.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 1.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its holdings in Woodward by 1,977.4% in the 1st quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 644 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. 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.