Woodward, Inc. $WWD Stock Holdings Increased by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 27.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,692 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 2,509 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Woodward by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $51,145,000 after purchasing an additional 22,555 shares during the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $24,436,000. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $1,164,000. Finally, Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter worth about $2,812,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,779 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,168. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group raised 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 upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.45.

Woodward Stock Down 2.0%

Woodward stock opened at $365.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $396.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $378.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.88.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.24%.

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.