Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

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

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Melius upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.56.

Woodward Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $331.25 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $295.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.31. Woodward has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $331.36. The firm has a market cap of $19.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.07, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.02.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Woodward by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,473 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,469,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,300 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $544,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 487.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,642,000 after buying an additional 15,487 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.