Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 877,027 shares, a drop of 20.7% from the November 30th total of 1,105,478 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 596,886 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 596,886 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WWD. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, December 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $298.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $307.10 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $281.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $259.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.71, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $317.56.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.