The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 2,345 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 7.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,587 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 2,345 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Woodward were worth $10,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Woodward by 44.1% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 154,449 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $55,281,000 after buying an additional 47,272 shares during the last quarter. Castleark Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the first quarter worth about $974,000. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the first quarter worth approximately $606,000. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the first quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Woodward by 103.2% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 250,014 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $89,485,000 after acquiring an additional 126,963 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WWD. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Susquehanna initiated coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “positive” rating and a $423.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $406.00.

Woodward Price Performance

WWD stock opened at $363.57 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $395.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $377.83. The company has a market capitalization of $21.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.88. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.31 and a 52-week high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 17,779 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,168 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

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.