Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 77,613 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,600 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Woodward were worth $19,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Phoenix Financial Ltd. acquired a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $221,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,473,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 637.3% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 3,325 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 2,874 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Woodward by 125.9% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 36,353 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $9,187,000 after buying an additional 20,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 13.8% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $317.84 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.07 billion, a PE ratio of 44.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $310.89 and a 200-day moving average of $273.14. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $339.10.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The business had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.41 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $345.00 to $378.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.89.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total transaction of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,413.80. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total transaction of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at $6,393,319.75. The trade was a 12.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 40,000 shares of company stock worth $11,908,210 in the last three months. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.