Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension Reduces Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension cut its Woodward stake by 15% in the first quarter, selling 12,163 shares and ending with 68,665 shares valued at about $24.6 million.
• Woodward reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 versus $2.10 expected and revenue of $1.09 billion versus $1.01 billion estimated, while revenue rose 23.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $395.50.

Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension lowered its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 15.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,665 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 12,163 shares during the quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension owned 0.12% of Woodward worth $24,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Woodward by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 13,417 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,056,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $396.93 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. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $385.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $369.50. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business's revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $395.50.

About Woodward

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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