Capital Research Global Investors Sells 1,444,088 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Capital Research Global Investors reduced its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 76.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 444,785 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,444,088 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Woodward were worth $134,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $403,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $841,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $359.79 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.00 and a 12 month high of $407.00. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $367.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $348.19. The stock has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a PE ratio of 43.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid 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 0.4%. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.