Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

WWD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

Woodward Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $425.44 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.95, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $450.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $378.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $362.57.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 in the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $26,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 82.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth $61,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.