Natixis Advisors LLC Grows Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 15.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 22,555 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $51,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 131.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 347 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 107.6% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 411 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $350.03 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $367.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.08. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.00 and a 52 week high of $407.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $20.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Company 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.