Aventail Capital Group LP Invests $21.96 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Aventail Capital Group LP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 72,652 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,964,000. Woodward makes up 1.3% of Aventail Capital Group LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 131.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on WWD. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Susquehanna began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Woodward Stock Up 3.2%

WWD stock opened at $434.83 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.91 billion, a PE ratio of 52.08, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $435.29. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $371.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $354.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.