Woodward, Inc. $WWD Shares Acquired by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 11.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 70,721 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 6,994 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 0.12% of Woodward worth $25,311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WWD. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 82.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 209 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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 transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,434 shares in the company, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,779 shares of company stock valued at $6,337,168. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $415.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $406.45.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $373.67 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $396.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $378.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.57, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.88. 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 issued its 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. Woodward had a net margin of 13.17% and a return on equity of 21.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.24%.

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.