Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 33.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,668 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 19,071 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $13,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 82.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management raised its holdings in Woodward by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 209 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $419.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.18, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $450.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $392.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $374.99.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were 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 owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $395.50.

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.