Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Alpha Wave Global LP

Alpha Wave Global LP boosted its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 8.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 117,883 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 9,270 shares during the period. Woodward makes up about 3.0% of Alpha Wave Global LP’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Alpha Wave Global LP owned approximately 0.20% of Woodward worth $29,790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the 3rd 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 purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s 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 owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 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 trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $356.80 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $360.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $299.91.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for 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%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. 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%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.