Bank of New York Mellon Corp Cuts Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon cut its Woodward position by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 89,095 shares and leaving it with 461,788 shares worth about $139.6 million.
• Woodward beat expectations in its latest quarterly report, posting $2.27 EPS versus $2.10 expected and revenue of $1.09 billion, up 23.4% year over year. The company also raised FY 2026 guidance to 9.15-9.45 EPS.
• Analysts remain generally upbeat on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $393, while several firms recently reiterated or initiated buy-equivalent ratings.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 461,788 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 89,095 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.77% of Woodward worth $139,608,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Woodward in the first quarter worth $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Woodward by 35.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company's stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Woodward by 684.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company's stock worth $920,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Woodward by 7.0% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Woodward by 11.9% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $357.74 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.00 and a 12-month high of $407.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. The firm's 50-day moving average is $366.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $346.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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 predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid 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 of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, 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 transaction of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $393.00.

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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