WINTON GROUP Ltd Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 24,120 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,292,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Woodward in the 1st quarter worth about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $357.74 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $366.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $346.86. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.00 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The company has a market cap of $21.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,554 shares of company stock valued at $3,183,170. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WWD. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

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.