Norges Bank Invests $251.37 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Norges Bank opened a new position in Woodward, buying 831,455 shares valued at about $251.4 million and ending the quarter with roughly 1.39% ownership.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 beating estimates and revenue of $1.09 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 23.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, while analysts remain generally positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price around $393.

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 831,455 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $251,365,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.39% of Woodward at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth approximately $73,406,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth approximately $56,556,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $344.70 on Wednesday. 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 $20.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $367.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $344.97. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $222.12 and a fifty-two week high of $407.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward's revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 13,554 shares of company stock valued at $5,106,920 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, 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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