Short Interest in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Drops By 38.7%

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 537,762 shares, a decline of 38.7% from the December 15th total of 877,027 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 553,281 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 553,281 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after buying an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $354,691,000 after purchasing an additional 8,307 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 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 valued at $224,391,000 after purchasing an additional 18,821 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,555,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Melius upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $312.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD traded down $2.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $333.06. 518,069 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 469,404. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $338.17. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $267.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The company’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management 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.