Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Invests $702,000 in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,660 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Woodward during the first quarter worth about $2,039,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,199,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $326.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $19.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.35, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $292.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.27. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $329.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $943.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.56.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,890,303.60. This trade represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $11,908,210. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.