UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Price

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) had its price objective increased by stock analysts at UBS Group from $216.00 to $232.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the technology company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 22.13% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $197.38.

Woodward Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $189.96 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $179.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.68. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $134.82 and a fifty-two week high of $201.64. The company has a market cap of $11.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.61, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.40.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a net margin of 11.22% and a return on equity of 17.13%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward will post 6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.57, for a total transaction of $430,968.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 20,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,764,325.91. This trade represents a 10.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.85, for a total value of $1,818,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,093,275.35. This represents a 46.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,313 shares of company stock valued at $9,007,072 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 101.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 246 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Woodward

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.