Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 5.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 58,086 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,393 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $14,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,026,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth about $236,000. Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $532,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Woodward by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 168,090 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $42,478,000 after purchasing an additional 524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Woodward by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,911 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,274,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $392.38 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.39 billion, a PE ratio of 49.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $333.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $284.06.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.11%.

Woodward declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WWD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen raised their target price on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $354.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.88, for a total value of $1,489,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,508,413.80. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. The trade was a 42.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 47,450 shares of company stock worth $14,706,235 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.