Strs Ohio Acquires 4,917 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Strs Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 346.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,335 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,917 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at $73,406,000. Finally, Kinetic Partners Management LP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at $56,556,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. The trade was a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 24,675 shares of company stock worth $9,371,515 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $390.27.

Woodward Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $365.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.06 and a 52 week high of $407.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.78, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $376.20 and its 200 day moving average is $331.84.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.35 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, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

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.