Stockbridge Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 270,673 Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Stockbridge Partners acquired 270,673 Woodward shares worth approximately $115.2 million, giving it a 0.46% stake and making Woodward 2.4% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 81.18% of the company.
• Woodward exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with EPS of $2.52 versus the $2.44 consensus, while revenue rose 21.2% year over year to $1.11 billion. Management issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $9.30–$9.50.
• Shares opened at $333.15 after declining 2.9%; analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $419. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, yielding 0.4% annually.

Stockbridge Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 270,673 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $115,155,000. Woodward comprises 2.4% of Stockbridge Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Stockbridge Partners LLC owned 0.46% of Woodward as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Woodward Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $333.15 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $450.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business's 50 day moving average is $394.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $380.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.06, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WWD. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial raised their price target on Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $419.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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