SG Americas Securities LLC Reduces Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 51.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,029 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 9,634 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its position in Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after acquiring an additional 395,726 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its stake in Woodward by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $322,060,000 after acquiring an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $425.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $378.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $362.57. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 50.95, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.89. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.