M&T Bank Corp Buys 12,217 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 135.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,268 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 12,217 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Woodward were worth $6,430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $73,406,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP purchased a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $56,556,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of WWD opened at $364.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $178.21 and a 1 year high of $407.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $378.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $327.35. The firm has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.98.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $385.91.

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.