R Squared Ltd Takes $733,000 Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,900 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $733,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 300.8% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Woodward by 35.6% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $12,300,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,079,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $387.74 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $344.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $289.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.83, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,450 shares of company stock worth $12,335,945. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.