Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) versus Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) Head to Head Contrast

Ducommun (NYSE:DCO) and Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) are both aerospace companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Ducommun and Woodward, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ducommun	0	2	5	0	2.71
Woodward	0	4	9	1	2.79

Ducommun currently has a consensus target price of $140.25, indicating a potential upside of 11.36%. Woodward has a consensus target price of $354.80, indicating a potential downside of 3.39%. Given Ducommun’s higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Ducommun is more favorable than Woodward.

Volatility & Risk

Ducommun has a beta of 1.03, indicating that its share price is 3% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Woodward has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its share price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ducommun and Woodward’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ducommun	-4.11%	8.47%	4.89%
Woodward	12.89%	19.07%	10.23%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ducommun and Woodward”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ducommun	$824.73 million	2.29	-$33.94 million	($2.31)	-54.52
Woodward	$3.57 billion	6.14	$442.11 million	$7.94	46.25

Woodward has higher revenue and earnings than Ducommun. Ducommun is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Woodward, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

92.2% of Ducommun shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 81.2% of Woodward shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Ducommun shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of Woodward shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Woodward beats Ducommun on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ducommun

Ducommun Incorporated provides engineering and manufacturing services for products and applications used primarily in the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and other industries in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Electronic Systems and Structural Systems. The Electronic Systems segment provides cable assemblies and interconnect systems; printed circuit board assemblies; electronic, electromechanical, and mechanical components and assemblies, as well as lightning diversion systems; and radar enclosures, aircraft avionics racks, shipboard communications and control enclosures, printed circuit board assemblies, cable assemblies, wire harnesses, interconnect systems, lightning diversion strips, surge suppressors, conformal shields, and other assemblies. The segment also supplies engineered products, including illuminated pushbutton switches and panels for aviation and test systems; microwave and millimeter switches and filters for radio frequency systems and test instrumentation; and motors and resolvers for motion control. In addition, this segment provides engineering expertise for aerospace system design, development, integration, and testing. The Structural Systems segment designs, engineers, and manufactures contoured aluminum, titanium, and Inconel aero structure components; structural assembly products, such as winglets, engine components, and fuselage structural panels; aerodynamic systems; and metal and composite bonded structures and assemblies comprising aircraft wing spoilers, large fuselage skins, rotor blades on rotary-wing aircraft and components, flight control surfaces, engine components, ammunition handling systems, and magnetic seals. It serves commercial aircraft, military fixed-wing aircraft, military and commercial rotary-wing aircraft, and space programs, as well as industrial, medical, and other end-use markets. The company was founded in 1849 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, California.

About Woodward

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. These products are used on commercial and private aircraft and rotorcraft, as well as on military fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft, guided weapons, and other defense systems. It also provides aftermarket maintenance, repair and overhaul, and other services to commercial airlines, repair facilities, military depots, third party repair shops, and other end users. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), tier-one suppliers, and contractors, as well as through aftermarket sales of components, such as provisioning spares and replacements. The Industrial segment offers actuators, valves, pumps, fuel injection systems, solenoids, ignition systems, speed controls, electronics and software, and sensors. These products are used on industrial gas turbines, steam turbines, compressors, and reciprocating engines. This segment sells its aftermarket products, and other related services to OEMs through an independent network of distributors, as well as directly to end users. The company was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado.