Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,979 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,439 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,937,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,300,000. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,436,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 487.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,663 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,642,000 after acquiring an additional 15,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 7.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $359.79 on Tuesday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.00 and a twelve month high of $407.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $367.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $348.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.44 billion, a PE ratio of 43.09, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during 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 was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s payout ratio is 15.33%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last ninety days. 0.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of several research reports. 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. Susquehanna initiated coverage on Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $393.00.

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.