Oak Thistle LLC Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,201 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,084,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Woodward in the first quarter worth approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 684.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 7.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% 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 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 1.0%

WWD stock opened at $375.17 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.50 and a twelve month high of $403.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $373.06 and its 200-day moving average is $315.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a PE ratio of 47.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.98.

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 analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 16.12%.

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.