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

Key Points

• Woodward has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 15 brokerages, with 10 buy ratings, 4 hold ratings, and 1 strong buy rating. The average 12-month price target is about $390.27.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates with EPS of $2.27 versus $2.10 expected and revenue of $1.09 billion versus $1.01 billion expected. Revenue rose 23.4% year over year, and Woodward raised its FY2026 guidance to $9.15–$9.45 EPS.
• Insiders and institutions remain active in the stock: executives sold shares recently, while institutional investors own 81.18% of the company. Shares were down 1.2% on Friday, despite trading near a recent strong range.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $390.2727.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research cut Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 20,404 shares of company stock worth $7,741,205 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $603,663,000 after purchasing an additional 80,538 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $451,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,390 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $354,691,000 after purchasing an additional 8,307 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Woodward by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Woodward by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $297,014,000 after purchasing an additional 76,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $351.36 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $369.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $340.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.08, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. Woodward has a 12-month low of $204.10 and a 12-month high of $407.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

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.

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