Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Increases Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 31.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,965 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,356 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after purchasing an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Woodward by 45.7% during the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,065,294 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $322,060,000 after purchasing an additional 334,333 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in Woodward by 1,086.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WWD. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total transaction of $104,344.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $431.62 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $25.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.69, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $377.07 and its 200 day moving average is $360.23. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.69 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

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.