Empowered Funds LLC Sells 8,560 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Empowered Funds LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 22.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 8,560 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $10,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $451,093,000 after acquiring an additional 106,390 shares in the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension bought a new stake in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at $24,436,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Woodward by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 169,174 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $51,145,000 after purchasing an additional 22,555 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth $1,164,000. Finally, Aubrey Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,812,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WWD. UBS Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $393.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karrie M. Bem sold 185 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total transaction of $65,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,040. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 shares were sold at an average price of $356.05, for a total transaction of $5,233,935.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 15,629 shares of company stock valued at $5,570,005 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

More Woodward News

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results exceeded expectations: Woodward reported adjusted earnings of $2.52 per share, above the roughly $2.39–$2.44 analyst estimates and up from $1.76 a year earlier. Revenue rose 21.2% year over year to $1.11 billion, in line with expectations. Woodward Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Growth was broad-based: Aerospace and industrial demand, higher volume, and pricing supported the quarter, while adjusted earnings increased 43.2%. The performance gives investors evidence of continued operating momentum. WWD Q3 Earnings Beat on Aerospace and Industrial Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 earnings guidance was raised to adjusted EPS of $9.30–$9.50, broadly consistent with the $9.40 consensus estimate. Woodward also projected approximately $4.3–$4.4 billion in revenue. Woodward Fiscal Q3 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Lifts Fiscal 2026 Adjusted Earnings Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital maintained its Buy/Outperform rating, supporting the view that analysts remain constructive on Woodward’s longer-term prospects. RBC Capital Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Woodward
• Negative Sentiment: The key pressure is the aerospace outlook: coverage indicates the outlook was narrowed, raising concerns that aerospace growth may moderate even as current results remain strong. With WWD trading at a relatively elevated earnings multiple, investors may be demanding more substantial forward growth. Woodward’s Shares Fall as Aerospace Outlook Narrows
• Negative Sentiment: Woodward’s plan to require approximately 1,000 fewer hires by 2029 may improve efficiency and margins, but it also signals a more cautious approach to workforce expansion and could reinforce concerns about future demand. Woodward Raises 2026 Adjusted EPS View

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $356.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.63, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $395.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $377.35. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $233.31 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.71% and a net margin of 13.17%.Woodward’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.33%.

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.