Moore Capital Management LP Acquires 42,785 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Moore Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 109.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,732 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,785 shares during the quarter. Moore Capital Management LP owned 0.14% of Woodward worth $20,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $56,556,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 30,342 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,668,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 12.3% in the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 12.2% in the third quarter. Jain Global LLC now owns 78,974 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $19,958,000 after purchasing an additional 8,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,577,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $367.59 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.30, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $361.46 and a 200 day moving average of $301.44.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 increased their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.