Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Acquired by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 300.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its holdings in Woodward by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 1.7% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.9% in the second 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. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.1% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,909 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 4.1% during the second quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,492 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Woodward from $329.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.89.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD opened at $317.84 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.00. The firm has a market cap of $19.07 billion, a PE ratio of 44.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $339.10.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.Woodward’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.