Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 3,225 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 50.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,180 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,225 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $804,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Candelo Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.0% in the third quarter. Candelo Capital Management LP now owns 17,300 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,133 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Woodward by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 110,033 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,806,000 after buying an additional 6,111 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Woodward by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 887,938 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $224,391,000 after buying an additional 18,821 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,840,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 117.8% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 83,771 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $21,170,000 after acquiring an additional 45,303 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 1,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.37, for a total value of $711,084.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,625.15. The trade was a 37.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,925 shares of company stock valued at $10,203,160. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ WWD opened at $356.80 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 44.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $360.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $300.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Melius Research raised 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 Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

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.