EULAV Asset Management Has $52.61 Million Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• EULAV Asset Management increased its Woodward stake by 53.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 174,011 shares worth about $52.61 million. The position now makes up roughly 1.4% of its portfolio.
• Wall Street remains bullish on Woodward, with analysts assigning a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a price target of $393. Several firms recently reiterated buy/outperform calls with targets as high as $470.
• Woodward posted better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, reporting EPS of $2.27 on revenue of $1.09 billion, both above estimates. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.32, equal to a 0.4% annualized yield.

EULAV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 53.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 174,011 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 60,411 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for about 1.4% of EULAV Asset Management's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. EULAV Asset Management owned approximately 0.29% of Woodward worth $52,607,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Woodward by 4.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company's stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 3.0% during the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company's stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 1.5% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company's stock worth $841,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a "positive" rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $357.74 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.00 and a 1 year high of $407.00. 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 cap of $21.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $366.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $346.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,554 shares of company stock valued at $3,183,170. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

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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