Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Los Angeles Capital Management reduced its Woodward stake by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,439 shares and leaving it with 13,979 shares worth about $4.23 million.
• Woodward reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $2.27 and revenue of $1.09 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations; revenue also rose 23.4% year over year.
• The company raised its FY2026 guidance to $9.15-$9.45 EPS, while analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $393.

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,979 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 3,439 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in Woodward were worth $4,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 2.8% in the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company's stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Woodward by 4.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 3.0% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company's stock worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 1.5% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company's stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $359.79 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. The business's 50 day moving average price is $367.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.19. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.00 and a fifty-two week high of $407.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors 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 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WWD. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One investment 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $393.00.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.