Greenspring Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Greenspring Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,286 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 131.1% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 36.1% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 347 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 107.6% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 411 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total transaction of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,554 shares of company stock worth $3,183,170. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $360.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $367.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $346.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.00 and a 12 month high of $407.00.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

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.