Teacher Retirement System of Texas Decreases Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its stake in Woodward by 17.8% in Q4, selling 6,474 shares and leaving it with 29,879 shares valued at about $9.03 million.
• Woodward beat expectations with Q results (EPS $2.17; revenue $996.45M) and set FY2026 guidance of 8.20–8.60 EPS, while analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average target of $385.91.
• Company insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares worth about $10.2 million in the last quarter (including sales by a director and the CEO), leaving insiders with roughly 0.71% ownership.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas reduced its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 29,879 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 6,474 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Woodward were worth $9,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 627.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WWD shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.91.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $364.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.96, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $178.21 and a 52 week high of $407.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $378.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $327.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm's revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid 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 was Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

About Woodward

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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