Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $411.09 and last traded at $410.4860, with a volume of 18144 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $402.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.19, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $369.58 and its 200-day moving average is $352.35.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

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 shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $737,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 3.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 5.4% in the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Woodward by 4.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. increased its position in Woodward by 3.0% during the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. 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.