3,836 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Acquired by United Services Automobile Association

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. by purchasing 3,836 shares valued at approximately $703,000 in the first quarter of 2023.
• Woodward, Inc. reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates and indicating an 8.0% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 0.5% with a payout ratio of 17.72%.

United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,836 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $703,000.

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

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD traded down $1.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $238.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 432,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 478,204. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $249.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.69, a PEG ratio of 2.60 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $267.45.

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, topping 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 net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 16.57%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.500-6.750 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $211,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,981 shares in the company, valued at $12,245,250. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 1,750 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director owned 20,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,121,680.16. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,096 shares of company stock valued at $759,060. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.11.

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.