Avala Global LP Sells 111,800 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Avala Global LP cut its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 149,134 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 111,800 shares during the period. Woodward makes up about 1.6% of Avala Global LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Avala Global LP owned about 0.25% of Woodward worth $37,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $224,391,000 after acquiring an additional 18,821 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $201,555,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Woodward by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 771,497 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $194,965,000 after purchasing an additional 59,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $184,721,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WWD. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $356.80 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. 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 one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $360.55 and a 200 day moving average of $300.25.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.12%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.