Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Reaches New 52-Week High on Strong Earnings

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $378.00 and last traded at $374.4560, with a volume of 7184 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $327.25.

The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.58%.

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

Key Woodward News

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — EPS $2.17 vs. ~$1.65 consensus and revenue ~$996.5M (+29% Y/Y); management raised FY26 EPS and revenue guidance, driving the rally. Zacks: Q1 Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Company press release highlights the strong quarter and updated FY26 guidance (EPS 8.20–8.60, revenue ≈ $4.1–4.2B), which exceeded consensus. GlobeNewswire: Results
• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend by 14% to $0.32/share, signaling confidence in cash flow and capital allocation. GlobeNewswire: Dividend Hike
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Truist raised its price target to $404 and maintained a Buy, adding institutional validation to the outlook. Benzinga: Truist PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Margin expansion driven by aerospace services and industrial demand was highlighted in post‑earnings deep dives — supports sustainable profitability improvement. Yahoo: Margin Deep Dive
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed resources (earnings call transcript, slide deck, and presentation) are available for investors who want line‑by‑line guidance and segment commentary. Yahoo: Transcript/Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional and hedge‑fund positioning has been mixed in recent quarters (some large adds and removes); watch 13F/ownership updates for flows. Quiver: Institutional Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and articles flag valuation questions after the strong report — WWD now trades at elevated multiples vs. history, which could limit near‑term upside absent sustained execution. Yahoo: Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling reported in recent months (multiple executive sales), which some investors may view as a cautionary signal. Quiver: Insider Activity

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Woodward from $329.00 to $362.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% 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, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This trade represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 over the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $73,406,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 14.2%

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 company has a market cap of $22.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.84, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $312.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.63.

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.