Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its stake in Woodward by 1.4% in Q4 (selling 80,218 shares) but still owns about 9.26% of the company, with institutional investors holding roughly 81.18% of shares.
• Woodward beat expectations in the latest quarter with $2.27 EPS vs. $2.10 expected and $1.09B revenue, provided FY2026 guidance of 9.150–9.450 EPS, and saw several analyst price-target increases contributing to a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $387 target.
• Company insiders have been net sellers — 26,925 shares sold over the past 90 days (about $10.2M) — while Woodward also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 (annualized $1.28, ~0.4% yield).

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,554,723 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 80,218 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.26% of Woodward worth $1,679,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Woodward by 627.3% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $387.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Woodward Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $362.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.47, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.98. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $188.79 and a 1-year high of $407.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $376.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $329.97.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 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 20.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. The company's revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

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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