Fifth Third Bancorp Raises Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 87.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,046 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,484 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Woodward were worth $11,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its holdings in Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,452,000 after purchasing 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 increased its position 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 worth $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $397.89 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $386.57 and its 200-day moving average is $370.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a PE ratio of 47.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business 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 revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on WWD. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Zacks Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate 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.