Honestly, if you’re looking at the WWD stock price today, you might be feeling a little whiplash. As of mid-morning on Friday, January 16, 2026, Woodward Inc. is trading around $331.28, down about 1.4% from yesterday's close.
It’s a tiny dip. But context is everything here.
Just a few days ago, this stock was hitting all-time highs near $338. If you bought in a year ago, you'd be up nearly 90%. That’s not normal for a 150-year-old industrial company. People usually think of "industrial" and think of slow, boring growth. Woodward has been anything but boring lately.
Why is Woodward dropping today?
The market is reacting to a specific piece of news that broke yesterday afternoon. Woodward officially announced they are winding down their on-highway natural gas truck business in China.
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Basically, they’ve been trying to sell that unit for years. No one bit. The conditions in China for that specific niche have been, well, rough. So they're just closing the doors on it to focus on what actually makes them money: aerospace and large-scale industrial energy.
Some investors see "exit from China" and panic. They think it's a retreat. But if you look at the numbers Randy Hobbs, the Industrial segment president, put out, that China unit wasn't actually contributing much to the bottom line. It was more of a distraction. By cutting the cord, they’re freeing up resources for the high-margin stuff like power generation and oil and gas.
The Aerospace tailwind nobody talks about
Everyone focuses on the stock price ticker, but the real story is in the hangars. Woodward is a massive player in aerospace actuation. They recently landed a huge deal with Airbus to supply 12 out of 14 spoiler actuation systems for the A350.
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Think about that. Every time an A350 lands, Woodward’s tech is literally helping it stop.
The 2026 outlook
Management has been pretty transparent about where they think this is going. For fiscal 2026, they’re targeting:
- Sales growth: 7% to 12%
- Earnings Per Share (EPS): $7.50 to $8.00
- Share Buybacks: A massive $1.8 billion authorization over the next three years.
When a company tells you they’re going to buy back nearly $2 billion of their own stock, they aren't exactly worried about the future. They’re basically screaming that they think the stock is undervalued, even at these record prices.
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What most people get wrong
There’s a misconception that Woodward is just a "parts supplier." That’s sorta like saying Intel just makes "chips." They make the brains of the machines. Whether it’s a massive turbine at a data center or a defense drone, Woodward provides the control systems that keep things from exploding or failing.
The valuation is high, though. You can't ignore that. With a P/E ratio hovering around 46, you’re paying a premium. But compared to peers like Honeywell or TransDigm, Woodward has shown a more consistent ability to beat earnings estimates lately.
Is the current price a "Buy"?
If you’re a day trader, today’s 1.4% drop is just noise. If you’re a long-term investor, you’re looking at a company that Forbes just named one of "America's Best Companies for 2026." They have a 1.0x EBITDA leverage, which is incredibly lean. They have almost no debt baggage compared to their competitors.
The main risk? Supply chains. Aerospace is still feeling the pinch of material shortages. If Boeing or Airbus slows down production, Woodward feels it immediately.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are tracking WWD stock price today for a potential entry or exit, here is how to handle the current volatility:
- Watch the $328 level: This has acted as a support floor recently. If it breaks below that, we might see a larger correction toward the $315 range.
- Monitor the China wind-down costs: Keep an eye on the next quarterly report to see the specific "one-time charges" associated with closing the China facility. If those charges are higher than expected, it might temporarily weigh on the stock.
- Check the 10-K for data center exposure: Woodward’s industrial growth is increasingly tied to backup power for AI data centers. Look for mentions of "power generation" and "grid stability" in their filings; that’s where the surprise growth is hidden.
- Set a trailing stop-loss: If you’re already in the green, a 5-10% trailing stop can help you lock in these massive 2025 gains while still giving the stock room to hit the $378 price target some analysts (like Gavin Parsons at UBS) are calling for.