Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $722,000 Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 43.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,017 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,533 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, 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 acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WWD. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $420.93 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a PE ratio of 50.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $379.19 and its 200-day moving average is $363.43. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $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 expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid 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, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.