Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Coverage Initiated at Wells Fargo & Company

Research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the technology company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 22.93% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.50.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $357.92 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $310.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $403.31.

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

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after purchasing an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $354,691,000 after buying an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Woodward by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after buying an additional 334,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $297,014,000 after acquiring an additional 76,870 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.