Woodward, Inc. $WWD Stock Position Boosted by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 487.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 15,487 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $5,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Woodward during the first quarter worth approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Woodward by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased 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 valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Woodward by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,433 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 39,358 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $9,646,000 after purchasing an additional 12,353 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $357.92 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $368.72 and a 200-day moving average of $310.62. The company has a market capitalization of $21.34 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The company’s revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $7,974,551.50. This represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.