Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Price Target Raised to $245.00 at Jefferies Financial Group

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) had its price objective raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $225.00 to $245.00 in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the technology company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 target price on Woodward and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $205.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $201.88.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $210.61 on Friday. 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 has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $216.95. The company has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 35.28, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $185.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.11.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The business had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.61 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 18.09%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.38, for a total transaction of $1,071,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 72,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,623,585.64. This trade represents a 6.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction 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 $2,855,506.50. This represents a 39.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,700 shares of company stock valued at $7,851,450 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 191.2% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 2,314.3% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Woodward by 189.8% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 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.