Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 637.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,325 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 2,874 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Woodward were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 125.9% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 36,353 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $9,187,000 after acquiring an additional 20,262 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in Woodward by 13.8% during the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 25,539 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,454,000 after purchasing an additional 2,692 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $284,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the sale, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $317.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average of $310.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $339.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial set a $366.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.89.

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.