Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Acquired by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,183 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $2,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $603,663,000 after acquiring an additional 80,538 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 7.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $354,691,000 after purchasing an additional 8,307 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Woodward by 45.7% in the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Woodward by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $297,014,000 after purchasing an additional 76,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,295,040. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward 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 transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $428.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $374.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $357.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $233.31 and a 52 week high of $445.29.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued 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 was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

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.