Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $419.00.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Woodward Stock Up 1.1%

WWD stock opened at $346.22 on Tuesday. Woodward has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. The company has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $378.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $378.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward’s revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. This represents a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 91 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.