Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $133.58 Million Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 528,675 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 59,854 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.88% of Woodward worth $133,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,015 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 34.3% during the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 2,969 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 48.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 34,300 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 11,128 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 7,754.7% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 83,731 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $22,721,000 after acquiring an additional 82,665 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $73,406,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.64, for a total value of $1,923,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,320,466.56. The trade was a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,925 shares of company stock valued at $11,692,560. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Woodward

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and guidance: Woodward reported a material beat (EPS $2.17 vs. $1.65 expected) and ~28.8% revenue growth year‑over‑year, and set FY‑2026 guidance at $8.20–$8.60 — these fundamentals underpin recent analyst upgrades and justify a premium valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Aerospace portfolio expansion: Woodward agreed to acquire Valve Research & Manufacturing (VRM), adding precision flow‑control valves to support next‑generation aircraft programs — a strategic bolt‑on that should expand addressable market and margin mix in Aerospace. Woodward Announces Deal to Acquire VRM
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return / dividend increase: Board authorized up to $1.8B in buybacks (~11.6% of shares) and raised the quarterly dividend (most recent payout $0.32), which supports EPS per‑share accretion and investor yield expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest eased: Short interest fell ~13.1% late February to ~655K shares (≈1.1% of float), reducing potential short‑pressure and the likelihood of a large short‑covering squeeze. No article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus: Street coverage is constructive (consensus “Moderate Buy” with mixed price targets); several firms raised targets after the beat, but some downgraded from “strong buy” to hold at higher absolute prices — implies upside but some valuation caution. Woodward Given Consensus Rating of Moderate Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: High institutional ownership: Roughly 81% of shares are held by institutions — supportive for stable demand but can limit free‑float liquidity and amplify moves on large trades. No article link
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold multiple blocks in early March (reported sales of 5,000; 5,000; and 2,625 shares in separate filings), generating proceeds of several million dollars — markets often view clustered insider sales as a mild negative signal even if pre‑planned. SEC Filing: Insider Ownership Changes InsiderTrades: Blankenship Sells WWD

Woodward Trading Up 0.0%

WWD opened at $385.91 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $358.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $298.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a PE ratio of 48.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $403.31.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.