Savvy Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,106 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $532,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 627.3% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $379.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $327.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.43. The company has a market capitalization of $22.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 14.11%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,450 shares of company stock valued at $14,706,235. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Woodward Profile

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.