Cooke & Bieler LP Sells 75,489 Shares of Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Cooke & Bieler LP lessened its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 241,568 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 75,489 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in Woodward were worth $79,377,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter worth $28,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth $34,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 550.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 91 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Woodward by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 115 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD opened at $325.15 on Thursday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $19.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $335.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $367.20. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $247.11 and a 1 year high of $450.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.08. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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 expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Melius Research cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $388.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Woodward from $420.00 to $380.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $418.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, EVP Shawn McLevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $1,105,428.36. This trade represents a 40.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Profile

Woodward, Inc is an independent designer, manufacturer and service provider of control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. The company develops technologies that help manage the flow of fuel, air, and other fluids, as well as mechanical and electrical energy, in engines and other power-generation systems.

Its aerospace products include fuel pumps and metering systems, engine controls, actuators, air valves, and electric power-management systems for commercial aircraft, business aviation, military aircraft, helicopters, and space applications.