Pacer Advisors Inc. Boosts Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,183 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,213 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $2,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,937,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $451,093,000 after buying an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $24,436,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 487.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,642,000 after acquiring an additional 15,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $51,145,000 after acquiring an additional 22,555 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $428.25 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $374.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $357.87. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $445.29. The firm has a market cap of $25.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.29, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’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 directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target on the stock. 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. 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 assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Woodward 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.