Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemShares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $404.01 and last traded at $404.0150, with a volume of 54888 shares. The stock had previously closed at $399.23.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have issued reports on WWD. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.50.
Get Our Latest Research Report on WWD
Woodward Stock Up 1.5%
The firm has a market cap of $24.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $378.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $319.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.
Woodward Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.12%.
Insider Activity
In related news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after purchasing an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in Woodward by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $354,691,000 after purchasing an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in Woodward by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Woodward by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $297,014,000 after purchasing an additional 76,870 shares during the last quarter. 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.