Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,850 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $603,663,000 after buying an additional 80,538 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company's stock worth $354,691,000 after buying an additional 8,307 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $224,391,000 after acquiring an additional 18,821 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 771,497 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $194,965,000 after acquiring an additional 59,693 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 over the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Woodward Stock Performance
Shares of Woodward stock opened at $394.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $162.85 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The stock has a market cap of $23.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.98. The company's fifty day moving average is $379.89 and its 200 day moving average is $323.20.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.Woodward's quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.
Woodward Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 16.12%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Woodward presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $385.91.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on WWD
About Woodward
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also
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