223,800 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Purchased by Kinetic Partners Management LP

Kinetic Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 223,800 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,556,000. Woodward accounts for approximately 2.7% of Kinetic Partners Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Kinetic Partners Management LP owned about 0.37% of Woodward at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 30,342 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,668,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Jain Global LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 12.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jain Global LLC now owns 78,974 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $19,958,000 after acquiring an additional 8,571 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth $2,577,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Woodward by 27.9% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,756 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $367.59 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.30, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $361.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $301.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160. Company 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.