New York State Teachers Retirement System Decreases Stake in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 58,933 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,051 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Woodward were worth $21,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,388,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $603,663,000 after buying an additional 80,538 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,491,870 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 0.6% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,403,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $354,691,000 after acquiring an additional 8,307 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 334,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Woodward by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 982,448 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $297,014,000 after acquiring an additional 76,870 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock opened at $418.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $380.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $364.66. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92. The stock has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.06, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Susquehanna started coverage on Woodward in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Woodward in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $450.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $393.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In other news, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $65,675.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Woodward Company 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.