Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Key Points

• Gamco Investors trimmed its Woodward stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,230 shares and leaving it with 69,315 shares valued at about $20.96 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $390.27, after multiple firms reiterated or raised bullish targets.
• Woodward posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 and revenue of $1.09 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share payable on June 4.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL decreased its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,315 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 3,230 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 0.12% of Woodward worth $20,955,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 36.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 347 shares of the technology company's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 107.6% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 411 shares of the technology company's stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on WWD shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $390.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,034 shares of company stock valued at $7,610,321. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Woodward Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $349.41 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $20.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $204.03 and a fifty-two week high of $407.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $371.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $338.79.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business's revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

Woodward 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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