Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP Trims Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP decreased its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 16.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 342,121 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 69,600 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for approximately 4.5% of Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP owned 0.57% of Woodward worth $122,452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 3.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Quest Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 13,417 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,056,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.50.

Woodward Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $419.76 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. The company has a market cap of $25.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $393.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $376.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

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.