Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Sells 1,609 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lessened its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 276,581 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,609 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for about 1.0% of Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT owned approximately 0.46% of Woodward worth $69,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WWD. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 2.6% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Woodward by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Woodward by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 1.7% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. grew its stake in Woodward by 3.0% in the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total transaction of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This trade represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 44,450 shares of company stock worth $13,817,245 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $394.76 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $23.54 billion, a PE ratio of 49.72, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $403.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $340.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.24.

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

Woodward announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 16.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.