Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Has $42.93 Million Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lessened its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 169,869 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 27,307 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.28% of Woodward worth $42,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 627.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $390.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $403.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $334.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $284.80.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.11%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This trade 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,450 shares of company stock valued at $14,706,235. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Woodward Company 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.