Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Acquired by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 771,497 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,693 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $194,965,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new stake in Woodward during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at $39,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Stock Down 6.3%

NASDAQ WWD opened at $361.78 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $359.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The company has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its 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. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This represents a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 31,925 shares of company stock worth $11,692,560 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward 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.