Woodward, Inc. $WWD Position Trimmed by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC reduced its Woodward stake by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 14,600 shares valued at about $4.4 million.
• Institutional interest remains high, with 81.18% of Woodward shares owned by institutions; several firms added to positions, including Tribune Investment Group and Renaissance Technologies.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and raised FY 2026 guidance to 9.15–9.45 EPS. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $393.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 17.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,600 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 3,078 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Woodward were worth $4,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tribune Investment Group LP boosted its holdings in Woodward by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Tribune Investment Group LP now owns 25,000 shares of the technology company's stock worth $7,558,000 after buying an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 45.5% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 100,784 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,469,000 after buying an additional 31,500 shares in the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $506,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $379,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,298 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,904,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "positive" rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $357.74 on Monday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.00 and a 12-month high of $407.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $21.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $366.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $347.47.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. The company's 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,554 shares of company stock valued at $1,346,170. 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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