Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $210.59 and last traded at $210.74, with a volume of 108252 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $209.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WWD. StockNews.com raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 price objective on Woodward and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Woodward from $205.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

Woodward Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $12.68 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $182.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $838.61 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.62 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 15,477 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,700 shares of company stock worth $5,751,700. 0.82% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in 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 during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 2,314.3% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Woodward by 189.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.