Mengis Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 66.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,438 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,775 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $2,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Woodward by 131.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $430.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $445.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $373.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $355.62.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

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.