Bank of Nova Scotia Buys 25,254 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 143.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,900 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 25,254 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia owned approximately 0.07% of Woodward worth $15,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 5.4% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Woodward by 4.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 1.5% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $841,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $395.50.

Woodward Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $419.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $24.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.18, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.31 and a 12 month high of $450.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $392.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $374.99.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

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.