Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Short Interest Update

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 655,328 shares, a decrease of 13.1% from the February 12th total of 753,889 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 449,103 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 449,103 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s 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 approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% 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 three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Up 1.5%

Woodward stock opened at $372.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.93, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $363.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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 issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

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.