27,566 Shares in Woodward, Inc. $WWD Acquired by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 27,566 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,728,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,984,684,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $251,365,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth $231,958,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 497,722 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Woodward during the second quarter valued at $184,322,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD opened at $341.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $387.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $379.75. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92. The stock has a market cap of $20.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was 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 owned 3,098 shares in the company, valued at $1,105,428.36. The trade was a 40.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. The trade was a 76.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $419.00.

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.