Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 8,732 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,646,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Woodward during the 1st quarter worth about $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Woodward by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 684.3% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Woodward by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Woodward by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $124,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 19,475 shares of company stock worth $7,405,135. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.27.

Woodward Stock Down 4.4%

Woodward stock opened at $349.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.81 billion, a PE ratio of 41.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $372.53 and its 200-day moving average is $337.68. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.03 and a fifty-two week high of $407.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

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.