Zacks Research Downgrades Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to Hold

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Woodward’s FY2027 earnings at $9.67 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on WWD. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.91.

Woodward Stock Down 3.6%

WWD opened at $366.48 on Tuesday. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $171.90 and a fifty-two week high of $407.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $379.22 and a 200-day moving average of $325.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $21.85 billion, a PE ratio of 46.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.98.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,663,000 after buying an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $354,691,000 after buying an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 76,870 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

About Woodward

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.