Night Squared LP Takes Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Night Squared LP acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 18,855 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,765,000. Woodward accounts for 1.7% of Night Squared LP’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Woodward during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Woodward by 35.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 684.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth about $135,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.64, for a total value of $1,923,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,829 shares in the company, valued at $25,320,466.56. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $356.80 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $360.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.91. The stock has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. 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 (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.