Brokerages Set Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) PT at $354.80

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $354.80.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on 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 boosted their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% during the 3rd 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 period. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $356.80 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $360.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $300.25. Woodward has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Research analysts expect that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

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.