Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $722,000 Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 43.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,017 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,533 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth $24,436,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $51,145,000 after buying an additional 22,555 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 487.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,642,000 after buying an additional 15,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,812,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $420.93 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $379.19 and a 200-day moving average of $363.43. 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 current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted 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. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

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.