Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded at Melius Research

Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Melius raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.78.

Woodward Stock Down 1.0%

WWD opened at $322.59 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $328.42. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $288.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $263.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $943.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parisi Gray Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at about $214,000. Argent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,208,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,864 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,982,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Woodward by 27.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 463 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.