Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 92,751 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,056 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for approximately 1.3% of Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $39,460,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the first quarter worth approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 35.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Woodward by 684.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Woodward by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Woodward by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $341.81 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. The business has a fifty day moving average of $387.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $379.75. The company has a market cap of $20.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $419.00.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.