Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $4.63 Million Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 28.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,306 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 7,382 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Woodward were worth $4,627,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 300.8% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after buying an additional 5,078 shares during the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $2,079,000. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth about $246,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its holdings in Woodward by 213.4% in the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,236,000 after purchasing an additional 3,434 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 7.2% in the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.80.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 42,250 shares of company stock valued at $12,739,855 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $388.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.16 billion, a PE ratio of 48.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $392.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $318.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $276.93.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The firm had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.35 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.11%.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.