Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $418.36 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy”: Nine of 13 analysts rate Woodward a buy, one rates it a strong buy, and three recommend holding the stock. The average 12-month price target is $418.36, above its reported price of $324.07.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed, with Zacks Research, Wall Street Zen, Melius Research, and others downgrading or lowering price targets, while Jefferies maintained a buy rating with a $420 target.
• Woodward exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.52 in EPS versus the $2.44 consensus, while revenue rose 21.2% year over year to $1.11 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32, yielding approximately 0.4% annually.

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $418.36.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WWD. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Woodward from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Melius Research downgraded Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $388.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Woodward from $450.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 2nd.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $324.07 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.86. The company's fifty day moving average is $336.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $367.53. Woodward has a 52-week low of $247.11 and a 52-week high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,984,684,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $303,698,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $231,958,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $184,322,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter worth about $127,376,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc is an independent designer, manufacturer and service provider of control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. The company develops technologies that help manage the flow of fuel, air, and other fluids, as well as mechanical and electrical energy, in engines and other power-generation systems.

Its aerospace products include fuel pumps and metering systems, engine controls, actuators, air valves, and electric power-management systems for commercial aircraft, business aviation, military aircraft, helicopters, and space applications.

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