Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Short Interest Update

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) saw a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 655,328 shares, a decrease of 13.1% from the February 12th total of 753,889 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 449,103 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 449,103 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in 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 during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $367.59 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $361.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $301.44. The stock has a market cap of $21.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.30, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a share buyback 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 purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.12%.

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.