Palisade Capital Management LP Acquires New Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Palisade Capital Management acquired 26,957 Woodward shares worth approximately $11.5 million, while institutional investors collectively own 81.18% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $419, despite some recent downgrades and target reductions.
• Woodward exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $2.52 versus $2.44 expected, with revenue up 21.2% year over year; however, two insiders recently sold substantial portions of their holdings.

Palisade Capital Management LP bought a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 26,957 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $11,469,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 550.0% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 91 shares of the technology company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $419.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $339.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $20.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $392.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $380.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The company's revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.24%.

Woodward Company 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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