Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

WWD has been the topic of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $160.00 target price (down from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Woodward from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Truist Financial upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $152.00 to $187.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.67.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock traded down $2.82 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $172.89. The company had a trading volume of 308,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,420. The company has a 50 day moving average of $166.88 and a 200-day moving average of $170.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Woodward has a 52 week low of $126.31 and a 52 week high of $188.35. The firm has a market cap of $10.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.91, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.38.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total value of $1,776,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,044,929.15. This trade represents a 46.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Woodward by 101.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 246 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter worth about $69,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.