Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 44.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,317 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,259 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $2,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Woodward by 131.1% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 282 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $395.50.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $401.99 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $386.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $370.71. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. 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 market capitalization of $23.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.14, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The company 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%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction 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 approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.