Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $197.38.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Woodward Stock Up 3.6 %

Woodward stock opened at $192.12 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $185.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $176.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. Woodward has a 1-year low of $144.45 and a 1-year high of $201.64.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,855,506.50. This trade represents a 39.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $864,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at $3,278,157. This represents a 20.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. raised its holdings in Woodward by 130.2% during the 4th quarter. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. now owns 1,328,765 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $221,133,000 after acquiring an additional 751,541 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $120,220,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 135.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 992,189 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $170,170,000 after purchasing an additional 570,124 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,521,300 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $253,175,000 after purchasing an additional 367,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth about $31,187,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.