Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Sells 61,966 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lowered its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 22.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 214,392 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 61,966 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for 1.2% of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Woodward were worth $76,735,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 209 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $395.50.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $419.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $392.11 and its 200 day moving average is $374.99. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The firm has a market cap of $24.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

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 value of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares in the company, valued at $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, 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 quarter, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward 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.