Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Woodward, Inc. saw a significant increase in short interest of 53.6% in September, reaching 1.4 million shares, which now represents approximately 2.5% of its outstanding shares.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $1.76 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, alongside an 8% increase in revenue year-over-year of $915.45 million.
• Woodward announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, with an ex-dividend date set for November 20th, yielding 0.4% annually.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,400,000 shares, a growth of 53.6% from the September 15th total of 911,500 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 542,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Based on an average daily volume of 542,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Woodward Trading Up 0.9%

NASDAQ WWD opened at $254.14 on Wednesday. Woodward has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $267.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $15.24 billion, a PE ratio of 40.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.26. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $246.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $229.97.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays upped their target price on Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Alembic Global Advisors raised Woodward from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $281.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Zacks Research cut Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price target on Woodward and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Northcoast Research raised Woodward to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 1,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.32, for a total value of $427,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,963 shares in the company, valued at $5,121,680.16. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $2,076,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $70,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Woodward by 233.0% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 9,478 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,395,000 after acquiring an additional 6,632 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Company Profile

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.

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