Woodward, Inc. $WWD Stock Holdings Cut by MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.

Key Points

• MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. has reduced its holdings in Woodward, Inc. by 4.6% during the first quarter, now owning 394,259 shares valued at approximately $71.9 million.
• Woodward's stock has received various ratings updates, including a downgrade from Zacks Research to a "hold" and upgrades from UBS Group and Alembic Global Advisors, indicating mixed analyst sentiment.
• The company reported earnings of $1.76 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, reflecting a 0.5% annual yield.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lessened its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 394,259 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 18,961 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. owned 0.66% of Woodward worth $71,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Woodward by 191.2% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in Woodward by 2,314.3% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Woodward by 189.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 116.7% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $239.14. The company had a trading volume of 150,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 519,378. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $250.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $216.66. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $267.45. The stock has a market cap of $14.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.86, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $915.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $884.98 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.57% and a net margin of 11.32%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.500-6.750 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 21st. Woodward's payout ratio is 17.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Alembic Global Advisors raised Woodward from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $281.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 target price (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.11.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 1,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $244.32, for a total transaction of $427,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,121,680.16. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $211,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 48,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,245,250. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,096 shares of company stock valued at $759,060. 0.82% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.