Woodward, Inc. $WWD Stock Holdings Decreased by Cooke & Bieler LP

Key Points

• Cooke & Bieler LP reduced its Woodward stake by 32.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 225,456 shares and leaving it with 462,834 shares valued at about $139.9 million.
• Woodward posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.27 beating estimates and revenue of $1.09 billion, up 23.4% year over year; the company also raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $9.15-$9.45.
• Insiders have also been selling shares, with executives making several recent transactions and total insider sales reaching 20,404 shares worth $7.74 million over the last 90 days.

Cooke & Bieler LP lessened its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 32.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 462,834 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 225,456 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for approximately 1.5% of Cooke & Bieler LP's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Cooke & Bieler LP owned 0.78% of Woodward worth $139,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,937,000. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Woodward by 300.8% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,710,000 after buying an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $12,300,000. Syntax Research Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,011,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth about $878,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the business'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 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. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 20,404 shares of company stock valued at $7,741,205 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company's stock.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $351.36 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $204.10 and a 12 month high of $407.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.93 billion, a PE ratio of 42.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $369.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $341.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released 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. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid 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 yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $390.27.

Woodward Company 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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