Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co.

Diversified Trust Co. lowered its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 44.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,283 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 4,195 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $1,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WWD. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 300.8% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,710,000 after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 35.6% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,300,000 after buying an additional 6,741 shares in the last quarter. Syntax Research Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $12,300,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at about $2,079,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Eileen P. Paterson sold 5,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 2,538 shares in the company, valued at $959,744.70. This trade represents a 67.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total transaction of $831,645.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock worth $10,203,160 over the last quarter. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Melius Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Woodward Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ WWD opened at $372.08 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $367.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $306.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a PE ratio of 46.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

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.