Varenne Capital Partners Invests $36.83 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Varenne Capital Partners acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 86,629 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,830,000. Woodward accounts for 6.1% of Varenne Capital Partners’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,984,684,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $251,365,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth about $303,698,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth about $231,958,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third 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 last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WWD. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $419.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $346.22 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $378.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $378.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.51, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.87. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.24%.

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.