Findlay Park Partners LLP Buys Shares of 290,474 Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 290,474 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,406,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of WWD. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Woodward by 35.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 684.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 24.1% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 4,443 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 863 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at about $261,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $386.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $346.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $290.62. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.00.

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. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 39,450 shares of company stock worth $12,335,945 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.