Woodward, Inc. $WWD Position Cut by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 69,315 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,230 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Woodward were worth $20,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,937,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 300.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after buying an additional 5,078 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,300,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $878,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD opened at $349.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.03 and a 12-month high of $407.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $371.78 and a 200-day moving average of $338.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.85, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 279 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $361.44, for a total transaction of $100,841.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,452,265.92. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% 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 sold 20,034 shares of company stock worth $7,610,321. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.27.

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.