Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,102 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,560 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.09% of Woodward worth $22,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 35.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 684.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Woodward by 7.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Woodward by 11.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Susquehanna assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $419.00.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total transaction of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $341.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $387.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $379.65. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.31 and a 12 month high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $20.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.88.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

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.