Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Woodward

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2025 earnings estimates for Woodward in a report issued on Monday, May 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the technology company will post earnings of $6.15 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $6.09. The consensus estimate for Woodward's current full-year earnings is $6.15 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Woodward's FY2026 earnings at $6.97 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.78 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.86 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.95 EPS.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WWD. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.88.

Woodward Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of WWD stock traded up $4.61 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $210.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 456,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 464,542. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $185.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.18. Woodward has a 52 week low of $145.98 and a 52 week high of $216.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.89. The company has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 35.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm had revenue of $883.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $838.61 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.57, for a total value of $1,027,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 73,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,030,661.69. This trade represents a 6.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,855,506.50. This trade represents a 39.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,700 shares of company stock worth $7,851,450 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.