Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Truist Financial

Key Points

• Truist upgraded Woodward to a "strong-buy", joining several firms that have raised price targets (Goldman to $408, RBC coverage at $450, Deutsche Bank $470, UBS $429); the stock's consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $389.27.
• Woodward posted an EPS beat ($2.27 vs. $2.10) and revenue of $1.09B (+23.4% YoY) for the quarter, and issued FY2026 guidance of $9.15–$9.45 EPS versus analyst expectations near $9.30.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Truist Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $389.27.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD opened at $362.99 on Friday. Woodward has a one year low of $190.51 and a one year high of $407.00. The business's 50 day moving average price is $376.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $329.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.64 billion, a PE ratio of 43.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.98.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the business'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 $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Woodward by 300.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,710,000 after acquiring an additional 5,078 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,937,000. Syntax Research Inc. bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,300,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $878,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

About Woodward

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.