Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $11.13 Million Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,819 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,523 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $11,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Woodward by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,864 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $212,000. Greenspring Advisors LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $691,000. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $51,145,000 after buying an additional 22,555 shares during the period. Finally, AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $315,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. This trade represents a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Woodward Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $357.74 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.31 billion, a PE ratio of 42.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $366.95 and its 200 day moving average is $346.86. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.00 and a 1 year high of $407.00.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 15.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on WWD shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

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.