Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP cut its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 447,347 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 13,591 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.75% of Woodward worth $113,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 300.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Woodward by 35.6% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,300,000 after buying an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $12,300,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at $2,079,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $373.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $353.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $296.16. The company has a market capitalization of $22.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.96.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. 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 yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.64, for a total transaction of $1,923,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 24,300 shares of company stock valued at $8,357,460. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.