Two Sigma Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Two Sigma Securities LLC increased its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 139.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,271 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,907 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WWD. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in Woodward by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 117,958 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $50,184,000 after purchasing an additional 23,349 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 92,751 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $39,460,000 after purchasing an additional 14,056 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Woodward by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 329,383 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $140,133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Woodward by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 52,102 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $22,166,000 after purchasing an additional 4,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 6.2% in the second quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 9,726 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,138,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $419.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. This represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $339.82 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $385.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $379.29. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

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.