Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Raised to Strong-Buy at Guggenheim

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by research analysts at Guggenheim to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Melius Research cut shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $388.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $415.17.

Woodward Trading Down 0.3%

WWD opened at $318.45 on Monday. Woodward has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The company has a market cap of $18.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.42, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $364.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $374.74.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The firm’s revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Woodward will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Woodward by 25.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 25,680 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $10,925,000 after purchasing an additional 5,148 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its stake in Woodward by 277.1% during the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 2,640 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Woodward by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,381 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 80,479 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,239,000 after purchasing an additional 4,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth $744,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc (NASDAQ: WWD) designs and manufactures control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. Its products help manage fuel, air, combustion, motion, actuation and electrical power in engines, turbines and other energy-conversion systems.

In aerospace, Woodward supplies systems and components for commercial aircraft, business aviation, military aircraft, helicopters and space applications. Its offerings include fuel metering and engine control systems, air-management products, actuators, electric power systems and other controls used in propulsion and aircraft subsystems.

Woodward also serves industrial customers with controls for power generation, gas and diesel engines, renewable-energy equipment, industrial turbines and other applications.