Night Squared LP Purchases Shares of 18,855 Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Night Squared LP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 18,855 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,765,000. Woodward makes up approximately 1.7% of Night Squared LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $356.80 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $360.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.91. The stock has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 44.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

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

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 31,925 shares of company stock worth $11,692,560 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.