Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 3,078 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 17.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,600 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,078 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $73,406,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.00.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,554 shares of company stock worth $1,346,170. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $357.74 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $21.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.84, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $366.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $347.47. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.00 and a twelve month high of $407.00. 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) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 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.