Machina Capital S.A.S. Buys New Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $401,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Woodward by 627.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $376.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.46, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $316.84 and a 200 day moving average of $275.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $384.66.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business’s revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 42,250 shares of company stock valued at $12,739,855 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.80.

Woodward News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance — Woodward reported $2.17 EPS vs. $1.65 expected and revenue of $996.5M vs. $901.9M; management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.20–$8.60, which is the primary driver of the rally. Woodward Hits New 1-Year High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness and target increases — Brokers have raised price targets (example: a ~15.6% reported target bump to $392.93) after the results, supporting further upside. Woodward (WWD) price target increased by 15.59% to 392.93
• Positive Sentiment: Street upgrades/mentions — UBS and other coverage cite upside potential; UBS analyst noted the stock is expected to rise, adding momentum to the move. Woodward Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks recognition — Woodward was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, which can attract momentum and model-driven flows. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for February 5th
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market-note — Coverage and commentary highlight a fresh 52-week high and ask whether there’s more upside; that can mean both momentum buying and risk of short-term pullbacks. Woodward, Inc. (WWD) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares at about $369.62 (≈$831.6K); his remaining stake dropped ~9.4%. This is a disclosure item investors monitor but is not large enough to change the company’s fundamentals. John D. Cohn Insider Sale

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.