Wells Fargo & Company Begins Coverage on Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD)

Stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) in a research report issued on Wednesday. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the technology company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 22.93% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.50.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $357.92 on Wednesday. Woodward has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $310.62. The firm has a market cap of $21.34 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. State Street Corp raised its stake in Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after acquiring an additional 80,538 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 7.7% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 0.6% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $297,014,000 after purchasing an additional 76,870 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.