The Goldman Sachs Group Boosts Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Price Target to $201.00

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) had its target price increased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $159.00 to $201.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the technology company’s stock.

WWD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on Woodward from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Woodward from $165.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Woodward from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $136.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Woodward from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $158.22.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $146.81 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $146.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.38. Woodward has a twelve month low of $91.42 and a twelve month high of $160.79.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, January 29th. The technology company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $786.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $750.13 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 15.26% and a net margin of 9.50%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 27.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 21.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher Fawzy sold 11,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $1,540,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,836 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,040. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 38,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.98, for a total value of $5,494,626.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,833 shares in the company, valued at $1,680,049.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christopher Fawzy sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $1,540,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,836 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,040. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,200 shares of company stock worth $7,242,916. Insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Woodward by 79.3% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Woodward during the second quarter valued at $28,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the first quarter valued at $30,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.