Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Raises Dividend to $0.32 Per Share

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.32 per share by the technology company on Thursday, March 5th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is a 14.3% increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28.

Woodward has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 5 years. Woodward has a dividend payout ratio of 15.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Woodward to earn $7.14 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 15.7%.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD traded up $9.41 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $327.25. 1,023,590 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 554,481. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $19.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.51, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $339.10. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.14.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.64 by $0.53. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Woodward from $329.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. UBS Group upped their target price on Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 target price on Woodward in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.89.

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.