Aubrey Capital Management Ltd Takes Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 9,300 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,812,000. Woodward comprises approximately 1.1% of Aubrey Capital Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 36.1% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $390.27.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $369.93 on Monday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $193.74 and a 12-month high of $407.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $375.51 and a 200-day moving average of $333.66.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,475 shares of company stock valued at $7,405,135. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.