LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Decreases Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• LaFleur & Godfrey LLC trimmed its holding in Woodward by 4.7% in Q4 to 61,163 shares (≈$18.49M), making the stock its 13th-largest position and about 0.10% of the company.
• Woodward beat expectations — Q results showed EPS $2.27 vs. $2.10 and revenue $1.09B (up 23.4% YoY), management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $9.15–$9.45, and analysts have raised targets to a consensus of $390.27 ("Moderate Buy").
• Insiders have been net sellers, offloading roughly 24,675 shares (~$9.37M) in the past 90 days, while institutional ownership remains high at 81.18%.

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC cut its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,163 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 3,017 shares during the quarter. Woodward makes up approximately 2.2% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC owned 0.10% of Woodward worth $18,491,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Woodward by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 684.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Woodward by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $390.27.

Woodward Stock Up 2.4%

WWD opened at $365.58 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.92. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $193.06 and a one year high of $407.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $376.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $331.84. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The company had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue 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 research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward's payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of Woodward 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,675 shares of company stock valued at $9,371,515. Insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

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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