The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases New Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,566 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,728,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Woodward during the first quarter valued at $2,039,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Woodward by 35.5% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,390 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 684.3% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 5,043 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $920,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 7.0% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased 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 worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of WWD opened at $341.81 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92. The stock has a market cap of $20.18 billion, a PE ratio of 38.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $387.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $379.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Zacks Research cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $419.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.