Avala Global LP Sells 111,800 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Avala Global LP lowered its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,134 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 111,800 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for about 1.6% of Avala Global LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Avala Global LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $37,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of Woodward by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 110,033 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,806,000 after purchasing an additional 6,111 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $224,391,000 after buying an additional 18,821 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $2,840,000. Algert Global LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 117.8% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 83,771 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $21,170,000 after buying an additional 45,303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Woodward by 0.8% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 82,634 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $20,882,000 after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 1.4%

WWD opened at $356.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 44.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $360.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $300.25. 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.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’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. Analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Company 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.