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

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WWD. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.45.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD opened at $365.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $396.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $378.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $21.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.88. Woodward has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,779 shares of company stock worth $6,337,168. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Accel Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 963 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.5% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,059 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 5.4% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 1.5% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.