Night Squared LP Raises Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Night Squared LP lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,526 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 2,671 shares during the period. Woodward comprises 1.8% of Night Squared LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Night Squared LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $6,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after buying an additional 395,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. 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 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $421.54 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $425.33. The company has a market capitalization of $25.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.48, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $370.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 period last year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.