First Trust Advisors LP Sells 8,947 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 529,213 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 8,947 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.89% of Woodward worth $189,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after buying an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 45.7% in the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $322,060,000 after buying an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WWD. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was 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 $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $404.59 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $24.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.45, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.86. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $233.31 and a one year high of $450.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $389.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $373.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend 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.