Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,623 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,937,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $2,396,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $184,721,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $733,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 25,401 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,419,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 148.4% in the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 457 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,450 shares of company stock valued at $10,838,995. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Up 4.1%

Shares of WWD opened at $402.56 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $292.30. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.96.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

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.