Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy” Rating

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

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

Woodward Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD traded down $2.82 on Thursday, hitting $172.89. 308,623 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 420,420. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $166.88 and its 200 day moving average is $170.67. The company has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a PE ratio of 28.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.96. Woodward has a 1-year low of $126.31 and a 1-year high of $188.35.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total transaction of $1,776,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,044,929.15. The trade was a 46.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the second quarter worth about $69,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.