Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $298.7778.

WWD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $314.04 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $18.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $317.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $277.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $258.08.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

More Woodward News

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in mid-December, dropping ~20.7% to 877,027 shares (about 1.5% of shares short) and a days-to-cover near 1.5 — less short pressure can reduce downside risk and supports momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Large inflows into the stock have been reported, which analysts and traders cite as a major driver of the recent rally. Big Money Inflows Send Woodward Skyward
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage and headlines note WWD has hit a 52‑week high and strong multi‑quarter momentum — items that attract momentum investors and can amplify short-term buying. Woodward, Inc. (WWD) hit a 52-week high
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank maintained a Buy rating on WWD, providing analyst backing that supports investor confidence. Deutsche Bank maintains Woodward (WWD) buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Media/analyst notes point to strong underlying fundamentals and guidance (recent earnings beat and solid FY guidance have been cited in coverage), supporting the 12‑month ~85% appreciation story and continued momentum. WWD Stock Appreciates 85% in 12 Months
• Neutral Sentiment: One short-interest data point in the feed shows “0 shares” for Dec. 24 with NaN changes — this appears to be a reporting error and should not be interpreted as meaningful market information at this time.

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.