Stockbridge Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Stockbridge Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 270,673 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,155,000. Woodward comprises approximately 2.4% of Stockbridge Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WWD. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 11.7% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 110,116 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,848,000 after purchasing an additional 11,558 shares during the last quarter. Tribune Investment Group LP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the second quarter worth about $5,752,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,628,000. PEAK6 LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth about $530,000. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at about $584,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $419.00.

Woodward Stock Down 2.9%

WWD stock opened at $333.15 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.31 and a 12 month high of $450.92. The company has a market cap of $19.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.06, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $394.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $380.76.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.24%.

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.