Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 3,225 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. cut its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 50.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,180 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,225 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $804,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank bought a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth $201,555,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Woodward during the third quarter valued at about $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,086.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth about $73,406,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.15, for a total transaction of $1,966,380.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,744.70. This represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160 in the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $356.80 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $360.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $300.60. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $146.82 and a fifty-two week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.Woodward’s revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $354.80.

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.