Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.50.

Woodward Stock Up 5.0%

WWD stock opened at $375.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $22.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $369.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 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.