Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded by Melius to “Buy” Rating

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by research analysts at Melius from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.78.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $310.86 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $18.65 billion, a PE ratio of 43.24, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $317.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $285.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.84.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The company had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $943.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward’s revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 35.6% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,741 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at $246,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 0.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at $2,079,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.