Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen has upgraded Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a recent research report.
• Woodward's performance reflects a 8.0% year-over-year revenue increase, with reported earnings per share of $1.76, surpassing consensus estimates.
• Multiple firms have varying ratings for Woodward, with six analysts giving it a Buy rating while five have issued Hold ratings, and the average target price is currently $253.11.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $267.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $253.11.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD traded down $3.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $237.33. 696,819 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,573. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.55, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.27. Woodward has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $267.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.39. The company's 50 day moving average price is $250.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $216.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. Woodward had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 16.57%. The business had revenue of $915.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $884.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.500-6.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st were issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $211,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,245,250. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 191.2% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 2,314.3% during the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 189.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.