Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Reduces Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,881 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,320 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Woodward were worth $12,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Woodward by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Woodward by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 13,417 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,056,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $419.00 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $392.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $375.37. 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 1-year low of $233.31 and a 1-year high of $450.92. The firm has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.18, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.86.

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. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward’s revenue was up 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the business’s 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 owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. 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 three months. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $395.50.

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.