Brokerages Set Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Price Target at $419.00

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $419.00.

WWD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $342.56 on Tuesday. Woodward has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $380.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $378.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.23 billion, a PE ratio of 38.10, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s payout ratio is 14.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 1st quarter worth about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 684.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Woodward by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Woodward by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently 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.