Brokerages Set Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) PT at $298.78

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $298.7778.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, December 1st. UBS Group raised their price target on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD stock opened at $307.10 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.90. Woodward has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $317.56. The stock has a market cap of $18.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The company’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. 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.