Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Melius upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $309.22.

Woodward Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ WWD traded up $6.60 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $337.85. 29,870 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 481,531. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $295.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $266.31. Woodward has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $338.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.99, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,890,303.60. This trade represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Woodward by 35.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $246,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 213.4% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,236,000 after buying an additional 3,434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $2,079,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.