Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Night Squared LP

Night Squared LP increased its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,526 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,671 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for 1.8% of Night Squared LP’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Night Squared LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $6,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Woodward during the 1st quarter worth $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Woodward by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Woodward by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Woodward by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 4.7%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $421.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $370.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $353.21. The stock has a market cap of $25.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $425.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

About Woodward

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.