Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Lowered to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Woodward’s FY2027 earnings at $9.67 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $385.91.

Woodward Trading Down 3.6%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $366.48 on Tuesday. Woodward has a 1 year low of $171.90 and a 1 year high of $407.00. The stock has a market cap of $21.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $379.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $325.82.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.12%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,663,000 after purchasing an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 0.6% in the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $354,691,000 after buying an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after buying an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $297,014,000 after buying an additional 76,870 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.