Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Acquired by M&T Bank Corp

M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,790 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,739 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 300.8% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after buying an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,937,000. Syntax Research Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,300,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $878,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $370.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.74 and a 52 week high of $407.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 44.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $375.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $333.66.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 19,475 shares of company stock valued at $7,405,135 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $390.27.

Woodward 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.