Diversified Trust Co. Reduces Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Diversified Trust Co. cut its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 44.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,283 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,195 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $372.08 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $306.97. The company has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 16.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.