Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Sells 90,835 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs reduced its Woodward stake by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 90,835 shares and leaving it with 313,949 shares worth about $94.9 million.
• Woodward also saw notable insider selling, including Director Daniel G. Korte’s sale of 14,700 shares and EVP Karrie M. Bem’s sale of 185 shares; insiders have sold 15,629 shares over the last three months.
• The stock has drawn mostly positive analyst coverage, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393, while the company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 22.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 313,949 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 90,835 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 0.53% of Woodward worth $94,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 15.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth approximately $315,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Woodward by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 59,701 shares of the technology company's stock worth $18,049,000 after purchasing an additional 10,109 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,365,000. Finally, Hilltop Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth approximately $212,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WWD. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $393.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Up 5.8%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $380.75 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $227.00 and a one year high of $407.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $367.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $349.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.60, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

Woodward 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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