Pacific Capital Partners Ltd Sells 5,000 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Pacific Capital Partners Ltd lessened its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 66.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,500 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for approximately 0.7% of Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s holdings in Woodward were worth $632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $264,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Woodward by 47.6% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 6,558 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,657,000 after buying an additional 2,115 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $702,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 17.6% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,340 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $330.09 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $19.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $331.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $293.86 and a 200-day moving average of $265.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Truist Financial set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their target price on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on Woodward and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.56.

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.