Greenspring Advisors LLC Makes New $691,000 Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Greenspring Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,286 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $51,145,000 after buying an additional 22,555 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $315,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Woodward by 20.4% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 59,701 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $18,049,000 after purchasing an additional 10,109 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $251,365,000. Finally, Hilltop Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Susquehanna assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward Trading Up 3.0%

WWD opened at $360.36 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $227.00 and a one year high of $407.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $367.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.73.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.