Wall Street Zen Downgrades Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to Buy

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on WWD. UBS Group increased their price objective on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, December 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $298.78.

Woodward Trading Down 0.8%

Woodward stock opened at $311.38 on Friday. Woodward has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $317.56. 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 stock has a market cap of $18.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $280.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.39.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $943.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth about $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Woodward by 122.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $73,406,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.