Strs Ohio Has $15.08 Million Stock Holdings in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Strs Ohio grew its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 565.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,132 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,797 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Woodward were worth $15,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 1.5% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $841,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC raised its position in Woodward by 1.2% during the third quarter. Quest Investment Management LLC now owns 4,313 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC raised its position in Woodward by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 13,417 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,056,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Woodward by 11.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 506 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WWD. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Woodward in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price target for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $393.00.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward 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 value of $104,344.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,601,320.02. This represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was 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 $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,629 shares of company stock worth $5,570,005. Insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $418.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $380.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $364.66. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $24.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.86.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 12.85% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

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.