Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,556 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $393,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its holdings in Woodward by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.8% during the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.7% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Woodward by 11.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WWD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price 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 target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $394.76 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $403.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $340.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.24. The company has a market capitalization of $23.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results 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. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 value of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This trade represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 44,450 shares of company stock worth $13,817,245 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.