Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Sets New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $201.80 and last traded at $200.25, with a volume of 59099 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $196.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WWD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $205.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Woodward currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $195.00.

Woodward Trading Up 2.7%

The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.83, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average is $179.62 and its 200-day moving average is $179.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $838.61 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. The company's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.09%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.52, for a total transaction of $536,256.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 20,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,015,216.80. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 3,300 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.36, for a total value of $641,388.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,008,109.72. This trade represents a 17.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,700 shares of company stock valued at $5,751,700. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 191.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 2,314.3% during the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 189.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 116.7% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Company Profile

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.

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