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

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" on Woodward from 15 analysts (10 buy, 4 hold, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $385.91 and several firms raising targets (Wells Fargo $440, Truist $404).
• Woodward reported a strong quarter—$2.17 EPS vs. $1.65 expected and $996.45M revenue vs. $901.92M est.—and set FY2026 guidance of 8.200–8.600 EPS, in line with analysts' ~8.51 estimate.
• Insiders have sold 26,925 shares worth about $10.2M in the past 90 days (including the CEO and a director), while institutional investors own roughly 81% of the company's stock.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $385.9091.

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD stock opened at $363.97 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $377.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $329.52. Woodward has a twelve month low of $181.61 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The firm has a market cap of $21.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.84, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.98.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts predict that Woodward will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

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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