Brokerages Set Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) PT at $193.75

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $193.75.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. 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. StockNews.com cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 target price on shares of Woodward and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Woodward from $229.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th.

Woodward Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of WWD opened at $165.22 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $179.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $177.01. Woodward has a 12 month low of $145.98 and a 12 month high of $201.64. The company has a market capitalization of $9.81 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $864,156.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This represents a 20.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.36, for a total value of $641,388.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,008,109.72. This trade represents a 17.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,215,444. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Woodward by 191.2% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 2,314.3% during the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. NBT Bank N A NY purchased a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Woodward

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.