Woodward, Inc. $WWD Stake Cut by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

Key Points

• PNC Financial Services cut its Woodward stake by 33% in the first quarter, leaving it with 38,668 shares worth about $13.8 million. Despite the sale, institutional ownership of Woodward remains high at 81.18%.
• Woodward reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 topping estimates and revenue of $1.09 billion exceeding forecasts. Revenue rose 23.4% year over year, and the company reiterated FY2026 guidance of 9.15 to 9.45 EPS.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat: the stock has an average “Buy” rating and a $395.50 average price target, while several firms recently raised targets or upgraded the shares. Woodward also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, payable September 3.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 33.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,668 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 19,071 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Woodward worth $13,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Woodward by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $207,452,000 after buying an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Woodward by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $322,060,000 after buying an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company's stock worth $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $395.50.

Woodward Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $419.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.96 billion, a PE ratio of 50.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50-day moving average price is $392.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $374.99. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $233.31 and a fifty-two week high of $450.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward'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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 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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