Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 186.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,513 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,093 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Trading Down 6.3%

Shares of WWD stock opened at $361.78 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $359.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.57 billion, a PE ratio of 45.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.12%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. This trade represents a 3.83% 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 valued at $11,692,560 in the last quarter. 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.