BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $18.05 Million Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its Woodward stake by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 59,701 shares valued at about $18.05 million.
• Woodward reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 versus $2.10 expected and revenue of $1.09 billion, up 23.4% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of 9.15 to 9.45 EPS.
• Wall Street remains constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $393. Several firms recently reiterated or raised targets, including Wells Fargo at $440 and UBS at $429.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 20.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,701 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,109 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.10% of Woodward worth $18,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,937,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,300,000. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,436,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 487.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company's stock worth $5,642,000 after acquiring an additional 15,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Susquehanna started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a "positive" rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $357.74 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.00 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The company has a market cap of $21.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $366.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,554 shares of company stock valued at $3,183,170. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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