17,300 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Acquired by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in Woodward during the first quarter, buying 17,300 shares valued at about $6.19 million.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 beating estimates and revenue of $1.09 billion topping forecasts; revenue rose 23.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, while analysts remain generally bullish with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $393.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,300 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $6,192,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 131.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $431.62 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $377.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $360.23. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $233.31 and a 52 week high of $450.92. The stock has a market cap of $25.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.69, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward's payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WWD. UBS Group raised their target price 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 restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $393.00.

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.

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