6,650 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Purchased by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,650 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,380,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 122.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP lifted its position in Woodward by 136.2% during the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,452,000 after purchasing an additional 395,726 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Woodward by 45.7% in the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WWD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $395.50.

Woodward Trading Down 0.3%

Woodward stock opened at $392.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.05, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $387.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $371.45. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of 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 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 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

About Woodward

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.