9,300 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Bought by Aubrey Capital Management Ltd

Key Points

• Aubrey Capital Management Ltd opened a new position in Woodward, buying 9,300 shares in the fourth quarter worth about $2.8 million. The stake now represents roughly 1.1% of its portfolio.
• Woodward continues to attract institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 81.18% of the stock. Several firms increased or initiated sizable positions during the latest reporting period.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $2.27 versus estimates of $2.10 and revenue of $1.09 billion versus $1.01 billion expected. Woodward also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share and received a consensus Moderate Buy rating from analysts.

Aubrey Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 9,300 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $2,812,000. Woodward makes up approximately 1.1% of Aubrey Capital Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company's stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the third 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. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $73,406,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $56,556,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,475 shares of company stock valued at $7,405,135. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $369.93 on Monday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.74 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The company has a market cap of $22.04 billion, a PE ratio of 44.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.92. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $375.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $333.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.27.

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.

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