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

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

WWD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $425.44 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $378.65 and a 200-day moving average of $362.57. Woodward has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.95, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.89.

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. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Woodward will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,436,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Woodward by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $51,145,000 after buying an additional 22,555 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 15,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Numerai GP LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $5,130,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.