Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Senator Investment Group LP

Senator Investment Group LP lowered its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 223,591 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,947 shares during the period. Woodward comprises 3.5% of Senator Investment Group LP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Senator Investment Group LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $95,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the period. Tribune Investment Group LP bought a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,752,000. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $24,436,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $2,984,684,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $51,145,000 after acquiring an additional 22,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WWD shares. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $419.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $341.81 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $387.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $379.65. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $20.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.71% of the stock is owned by 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.