Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives $354.80 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $354.80.

WWD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th.

Woodward Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $379.39 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $327.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 47,450 shares of company stock worth $14,706,235 in the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

About Woodward

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.