290,474 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Acquired by Findlay Park Partners LLP

Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 290,474 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,406,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned 0.48% of Woodward as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 2.8% in the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Woodward by 1.7% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 3.0% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $403,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Down 0.3%

WWD stock opened at $386.76 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.71, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $346.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $290.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

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

Woodward declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 39,450 shares of company stock valued at $12,335,945 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.