Allianz Asset Management GmbH Invests $12.30 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 48,672 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,300,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 300.8% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after buying an additional 6,741 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,011,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,079,000. Finally, Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $246,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $388.50 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $318.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $277.07. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.82 and a 12-month high of $392.66. 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 (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 14.11%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $350.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,250 shares of company stock worth $12,739,855. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward 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.