Savant Capital LLC Has $19.30 Million Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Woodward stake by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, but still held 63,849 shares valued at about $19.3 million.
• Insider selling continued at Woodward, including recent sales by EVP Karrie M. Bem and EVP Shawn M. Mclevige; insiders sold 20,404 shares in the last quarter worth roughly $7.74 million.
• Woodward reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $2.27 and revenue of $1.09 billion, and analysts remain generally positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $393.

Savant Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,849 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 18,433 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Woodward worth $19,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 131.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Woodward by 36.1% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 347 shares of the technology company's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,404 shares of company stock valued at $7,741,205. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial raised their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $354.96 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $368.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $343.91. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.46 and a 52-week high of $407.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.15 billion, a PE ratio of 42.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.92.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward's quarterly 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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