Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Has $76.73 Million Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT cut its Woodward stake by 22.4% in the first quarter, but still held 214,392 shares valued at about $76.7 million at quarter-end.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.27 versus estimates of $2.10 and revenue of $1.09 billion versus $1.01 billion expected, with revenue up 23.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its profile with investors through a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share and mostly positive analyst coverage, including multiple Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $395.50.

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT decreased its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 22.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 214,392 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 61,966 shares during the period. Woodward makes up 1.2% of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT owned 0.36% of Woodward worth $76,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Woodward by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company's stock worth $451,093,000 after purchasing an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,436,000. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Woodward by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company's stock worth $51,145,000 after purchasing an additional 22,555 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,164,000. Finally, Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,812,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $419.00 on Friday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $392.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $374.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $395.50.

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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