Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Melius Research raised Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 target price on Woodward in a research note on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.56.

Woodward Stock Up 0.9%

WWD stock opened at $321.99 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $291.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $264.56. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $329.10.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The business’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the second quarter worth about $39,000. 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.