Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $174.67.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $152.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Woodward from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $170.85 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. Woodward has a 12-month low of $128.52 and a 12-month high of $188.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $167.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.92.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.72%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 7,913 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total value of $1,385,803.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,015,921.43. This trade represents a 40.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,913 shares of company stock worth $4,907,304. Insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Woodward by 222.7% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 23,990 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,716,000 after buying an additional 16,557 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in Woodward by 13.0% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,835,915 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $899,431,000 after buying an additional 77,654 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at $1,036,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.7% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 23,853 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,676,000 after acquiring an additional 853 shares during the period. 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.