Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Wells Fargo & Company

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on WWD. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.50.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $375.87 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $369.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted 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 net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% 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 John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its stake in Woodward by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after purchasing an additional 395,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares in 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.