Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Graybill Wealth Management LTD.

Graybill Wealth Management LTD. cut its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 29.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,157 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 8,019 shares during the quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WWD. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in Woodward by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 2.8% during the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. grew its position in shares of Woodward by 3.0% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Woodward by 1.5% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD opened at $367.25 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $403.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.90 billion, a PE ratio of 46.25, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $362.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.28.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 3,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

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.