Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Downgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft to Hold

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $158.00 price target on the technology company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $197.00.

WWD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Woodward from $140.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Woodward from $156.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Woodward from $200.00 to $186.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Woodward from $143.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Woodward from a hold rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $190.00 in a report on Wednesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $173.22.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $152.36 on Wednesday. Woodward has a 52 week low of $119.03 and a 52 week high of $188.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $178.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.58.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The technology company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.11. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.16% and a net margin of 11.47%. The company had revenue of $847.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $853.29 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Woodward will post 5.91 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 17.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 79.3% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.