Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Capital Research Global Investors

Key Points

• Capital Research Global Investors trimmed its stake in Woodward by 13.6% in Q3, selling 297,209 shares and now holding 1,888,873 shares (about 3.15%) valued at roughly $477.3 million.
• Strong fundamentals and shareholder returns: Woodward beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates ($2.17 EPS; $996.45M revenue), set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of 8.20–8.60, announced a $1.8 billion share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend.
• Insider selling activity: Insiders sold 24,300 shares (~$8.85M) in the last quarter, including the CEO and other executives, even though insiders retain only about 0.71% ownership.

Capital Research Global Investors lowered its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 13.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,888,873 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 297,209 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned 3.15% of Woodward worth $477,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of WWD opened at $385.88 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The company's fifty day moving average is $356.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.09. The firm has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a PE ratio of 48.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. 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 (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Stories Impacting Woodward

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Announced acquisition of Valve Research & Manufacturing (VRM) to add high‑precision flow‑control valves and broaden Woodward’s aerospace product set — expands addressable market and supports next‑gen aircraft programs. Woodward Announces Agreement to Acquire Valve Research & Manufacturing
• Positive Sentiment: Company’s recent fundamentals remain strong: quarterly EPS and revenue beat, FY‑2026 EPS guidance (8.20–8.60), large $1.8B buyback authorization and a raised quarterly dividend — all supportive of valuation and shareholder returns. MarketBeat: Woodward company overview & recent updates
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~13.1% in February to ~655k shares (about 1.1% of float) and days‑to‑cover ~1.5 — reduced short pressure can remove a headwind and amplify upside on positive news.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive but mixed: consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with several buy/upgrades and price‑target increases — supportive background but not a new catalyst. Woodward Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares (sale disclosed; proceeds ≈ $1.9M at ~\$384.75) — insider selling can be read negatively by some investors, though the remaining holding is material and the sale size is small relative to outstanding shares. Charles Blankenship Sells 5,000 Shares of Woodward Stock

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction of $711,084.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 24,300 shares of company stock worth $8,845,460. 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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