SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 254.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,176 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,279 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WWD. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Woodward during the first quarter worth about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,638,000 after buying an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $698,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.89.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $328.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $19.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.65, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $338.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $300.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $268.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.