Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.50.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $375.87 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $403.31. The company has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $369.52 and its 200 day moving average is $311.07.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 300.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after buying an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 35.6% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,741 shares during the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,300,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $878,000. 81.18% of the stock is 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.