Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Woodward has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 16 brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of $393.00.
• The company’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $2.27 EPS on $1.09 billion in revenue, both ahead of analyst estimates, while revenue rose 23.4% year over year.
• Woodward also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, payable September 3, and insider activity showed recent share sales by a director and an EVP.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $393.00.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% 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. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Woodward by 550.0% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 91 shares of the technology company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Woodward by 82.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD opened at $406.40 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $385.25 and a 200-day moving average of $368.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.86. 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 has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $450.92.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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