Wall Street Zen Downgrades Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) to Hold

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $406.45.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $362.89 on Friday. Woodward has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $21.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $396.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $378.84.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. This represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,779 shares of company stock worth $6,337,168. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $2,984,684,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the second quarter worth about $184,322,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after acquiring an additional 395,726 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Company Profile

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.