Woodward, Inc. $WWD Holdings Increased by Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP increased its stake in Woodward, Inc. by 5.7% during Q1, now holding approximately 593,148 shares, making it the firm's 4th largest position.
• Woodward reported $1.76 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.62, with total revenue reaching $915.45 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, with an annualized yield of 0.5%, set to be paid on September 4th for shareholders recorded by August 21st.

Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 5.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 593,148 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,225 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for about 5.1% of Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP owned about 1.00% of Woodward worth $108,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in Woodward by 191.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in Woodward by 2,314.3% in the first quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Woodward by 189.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Woodward by 116.7% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock traded down $2.79 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $238.15. 347,761 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 518,456. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $250.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $216.36. The company has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.27. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $267.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.57% and a net margin of 11.32%.The firm had revenue of $915.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $884.98 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.500-6.750 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Woodward's payout ratio is 17.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Woodward from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $281.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.11.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $211,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 48,981 shares in the company, valued at $12,245,250. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.