Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Has $322.06 Million Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Artisan Partners increased its stake in Woodward by 45.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1,065,294 shares valued at about $322.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own about 81.18% of the company.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $2.27 per share versus $2.10 expected and revenue of $1.09 billion versus $1.01 billion expected. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to $9.15–$9.45 EPS.
• Shares have been boosted by bullish analyst sentiment, with several firms maintaining or raising price targets and the consensus rating at Moderate Buy. At the same time, insiders have sold shares recently, including a director’s large sale in June.

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 45.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,065,294 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned about 1.79% of Woodward worth $322,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WWD. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,937,000. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,436,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 487.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $5,642,000 after acquiring an additional 15,487 shares during the period. Finally, Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,812,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $421.54 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $425.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50 day moving average price is $370.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $353.21.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $393.00.

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.

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