Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $298.7778.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, December 1st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday.

Key Stores Impacting Woodward

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.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at $73,406,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $314.04 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $18.84 billion, a P/E 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $277.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08.

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

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.