Wells Fargo & Company Begins Coverage on Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD)

Research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the technology company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 18.35% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.50.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $371.78 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $370.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31.

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 net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward’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. On average, equities analysts predict that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Woodward by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Woodward by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 3.0% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.