Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Guggenheim

Guggenheim upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Susquehanna began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Two equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $415.17.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $318.45 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $364.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $374.74. Woodward has a 12 month low of $233.31 and a 12 month high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $18.80 billion, a PE ratio of 35.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the second quarter worth approximately $2,984,684,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $251,365,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $303,698,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $231,958,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth $184,322,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc (NASDAQ: WWD) designs and manufactures control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. Its products help manage fuel, air, combustion, motion, actuation and electrical power in engines, turbines and other energy-conversion systems.

In aerospace, Woodward supplies systems and components for commercial aircraft, business aviation, military aircraft, helicopters and space applications. Its offerings include fuel metering and engine control systems, air-management products, actuators, electric power systems and other controls used in propulsion and aircraft subsystems.

Woodward also serves industrial customers with controls for power generation, gas and diesel engines, renewable-energy equipment, industrial turbines and other applications.