Red Spruce Capital LLC Sells 5,587 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Red Spruce Capital LLC lowered its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 39.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,584 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 5,587 shares during the quarter. Woodward comprises approximately 1.3% of Red Spruce Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Red Spruce Capital LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WWD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Woodward by 122.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its stake in Woodward by 136.2% during the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,452,000 after buying an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew 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 buying an additional 334,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew 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 buying an additional 302,666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Susquehanna began coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $406.45.

Woodward Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $365.78 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. The company has a market cap of $21.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $396.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $378.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’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 value of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,779 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,168. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.