Jain Global LLC Grows Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Jain Global LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 78,974 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,571 shares during the quarter. Jain Global LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $19,958,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter valued at approximately $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $73,406,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Down 1.4%

WWD opened at $356.80 on Monday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $360.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.60. The company has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.94, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

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 paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.