Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Has Average Price Target of $415.17 According to Analysts

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $422.00.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WWD. Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $404.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD opened at $331.62 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $346.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $370.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. Woodward has a 1 year low of $244.69 and a 1 year high of $450.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.58 billion, a PE ratio of 36.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 14.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WWD. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the second quarter valued at about $2,984,684,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted 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 worth $322,060,000 after acquiring an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 904,404 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $323,705,000 after acquiring an additional 100,465 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $251,365,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc is a designer, manufacturer and service provider of control systems and components for the aerospace and energy industries. The company develops technologies that help regulate the flow of fuel, air and power in aircraft engines, industrial engines and other energy systems.

Woodward’s aerospace products include engine controls, fuel metering systems, actuation systems, air-management components and electric power systems used in commercial aircraft, business jets, military aircraft and other aerospace applications.