Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Woodward, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average price target of $253.11 over the next year.
• The company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the latest quarter, surpassing estimates, and revenue increased by 8.0% year-over-year to $915.45 million.
• Woodward has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for August 21st and an annual yield of 0.5%.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $253.1111.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $267.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays increased their price target on Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Northcoast Research upgraded Woodward to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD traded down $2.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $249.64. 336,617 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 505,449. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $267.45. The company has a market cap of $14.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $250.48 and its 200 day moving average is $212.93.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $884.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. The firm'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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.72%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $211,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 48,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,245,250. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.85, for a total value of $565,582.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 64,739 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,944,998.15. The trade was a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,296 shares of company stock worth $5,544,333 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Newport Trust Company LLC grew its position in Woodward by 2.3% during the first quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,193,238 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $400,244,000 after buying an additional 49,481 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Woodward by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,521,300 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $253,175,000 after buying an additional 367,300 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in Woodward by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,418,123 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $236,004,000 after buying an additional 38,774 shares during the period. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 130.2% in the 4th quarter. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. now owns 1,328,765 shares of the technology company's stock worth $221,133,000 after purchasing an additional 751,541 shares during the period. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,225,750 shares of the technology company's stock worth $203,989,000 after purchasing an additional 168,035 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

About Woodward

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.