M&T Bank Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Woodward by 135% in Q4, rising to 21,268 shares valued at about $6.43 million.
• Company insiders sold 26,925 shares worth roughly $10.2 million over the last quarter (directors reduced positions significantly); insiders now own 0.71% of the stock.
• Woodward beat quarterly expectations (EPS $2.17 vs $1.65 est.; revenue $996.45M vs $901.92M), set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.60 EPS, and has seen analyst upgrades and higher price targets (consensus "Moderate Buy," average target ~$385.91, with some targets near $445).

M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 135.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,268 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,217 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Woodward were worth $6,430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 627.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $7,974,551.50. This represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research cut Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $385.91.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $364.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $178.21 and a one year high of $407.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.96, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $378.67 and a 200 day moving average of $327.35.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.Woodward's revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

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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