Capital Research Global Investors Sells 1,444,088 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Capital Research Global Investors sharply reduced its stake in Woodward by 76.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,444,088 shares and leaving it with 444,785 shares worth about $134.5 million.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 beating estimates of $2.10 and revenue of $1.09 billion topping expectations, while revenue rose 23.4% year over year.
• Despite some recent insider selling, analysts remain mostly bullish on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $393, above Tuesday’s opening price of $359.79.

Capital Research Global Investors cut its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 444,785 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,444,088 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.75% of Woodward worth $134,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company's stock worth $603,663,000 after acquiring an additional 80,538 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $354,691,000 after buying an additional 8,307 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $224,391,000 after buying an additional 18,821 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of WWD stock opened at $359.79 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.09, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $227.00 and a one year high of $407.00. The company's fifty day moving average price is $367.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.19. 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 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. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company's revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Susquehanna assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a "positive" rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $393.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward 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 directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is currently 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.

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