Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,500 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 31.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,272 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $989,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WWD. World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $544,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 487.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,642,000 after purchasing an additional 15,487 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 22,451 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,322,000 after purchasing an additional 2,118 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $287,000. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WWD has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total value of $1,966,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Woodward Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of WWD opened at $355.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.79, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $367.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $307.31. 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The company’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. On average, 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. Investors 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 boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.12%.

About Woodward

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.