Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 2,065 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 63.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,207 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,065 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in Woodward by 4.2% in the 3rd 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 lifted its stake in Woodward by 1.5% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 1.2% during the third 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. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 13,417 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,056,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.50.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $396.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $23.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $385.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $369.50. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued 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. The business 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

Woodward Company 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.