Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,384,338 shares, an increase of 76.3% from the April 30th total of 785,234 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 652,048 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,554 shares of company stock valued at $5,106,920. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Woodward in the first quarter valued at about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Woodward by 35.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Woodward by 684.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 7.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of Woodward stock traded down $5.20 on Tuesday, reaching $344.83. 844,364 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 632,594. Woodward has a one year low of $213.46 and a one year high of $407.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.47, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $367.82 and a 200 day moving average of $344.97.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

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.