Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 1,737 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,167 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,737 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Woodward worth $33,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $30,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 627.3% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 160 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $2,105,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 9,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,890,303.60. This represents a 42.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,393,319.75. This represents a 12.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,250 shares of company stock worth $12,739,855. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $376.81 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.00. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $384.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $316.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $275.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Woodward’s payout ratio is 14.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.80.

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.