Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives $379.50 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $379.50.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Woodward by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after buying an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $12,300,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,079,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $378.88 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $372.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.42. The firm has a market cap of $22.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.72, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.12%.

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.