WINTON GROUP Ltd Invests $7.29 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 24,120 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,292,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 131.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 36.1% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 347 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 107.6% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 411 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $357.74 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $227.00 and a one year high of $407.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.31 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $366.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $346.86.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 15.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

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.