JPMorgan Chase & Co. Sells 369,603 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 33.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 722,087 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 369,603 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 1.20% of Woodward worth $182,479,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Woodward in the first quarter worth about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group bought a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter valued at about $324,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in Woodward by 291.0% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,610 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,134,000 after purchasing an additional 3,431 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $394.03 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $336.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.49 billion, a PE ratio of 49.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released 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 return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward’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, equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued 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, February 19th. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 47,450 shares of company stock worth $14,706,235 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.