VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Acquires Shares of 17,473 Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 17,473 Woodward shares worth approximately $7.4 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 81.18% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $419 price target, although some firms recently downgraded the stock to “Hold.”
• Woodward reported quarterly EPS of $2.52, beating estimates by $0.08, while revenue rose 21.2% year over year to $1.11 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 17,473 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $7,434,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Woodward by 550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 91 shares of the technology company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on WWD. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Susquehanna assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $419.00.

Woodward Stock Down 2.0%

Woodward stock opened at $339.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $375.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $377.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.87.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward's quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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