Norges Bank Takes $251.37 Million Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 831,455 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,365,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hilltop Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 604 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $183,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,033 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the period. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 76,104 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $23,008,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 0.9%

WWD opened at $344.70 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization 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. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $222.12 and a 12 month high of $407.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $367.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 13,554 shares of company stock worth $5,106,920 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Susquehanna started 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.