Castleark Management LLC Takes Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Castleark Management LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,720 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $974,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its stake in Woodward by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 209 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WWD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $395.50.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $419.76 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $393.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $376.03. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $233.31 and a 52 week high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $25.01 billion, a PE ratio of 50.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.