Strs Ohio Increases Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Strs Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 346.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,335 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,917 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Woodward Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $365.58 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.06 and a 52 week high of $407.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $376.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $331.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 24,675 shares of company stock worth $9,371,515 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Company 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.