Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD – Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $305.97, but opened at $313.73. Woodward shares last traded at $313.0850, with a volume of 7,689 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.78.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Woodward

Woodward Trading Down 0.1%

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $275.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $257.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.90 billion, a PE ratio of 43.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.02. 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 – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. The company’s 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 expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Woodward by 35.6% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after buying an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after acquiring an additional 1,121 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co bought a new position in Woodward during the second quarter worth $698,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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