Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 56,650 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,101,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth $2,984,684,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at about $251,365,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Woodward by 122.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Woodward during the second quarter worth about $184,322,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP raised its position in Woodward by 136.2% during the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $207,452,000 after acquiring an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on WWD shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Woodward from $390.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $419.00.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $342.20 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $233.31 and a twelve month high of $450.92. The company has a market capitalization of $20.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.06, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $396.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $380.92. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The technology company reported $2.52 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.Woodward’s revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 14.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.82, for a total value of $767,163.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,578,725.70. This represents a 76.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.71% of the company’s stock.

More Woodward News

Here are the key news stories impacting Woodward this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $9.46 from $9.18, lifted FY2027 EPS to $10.35 from $10.30, and increased FY2028 EPS to $12.00 from $11.55. The firm also raised estimates for Q4 2026, Q1 and Q2 2027, and Q1 and Q2 2028, signaling improved longer-term earnings expectations. Woodward stock information
• Neutral Sentiment: The FY2026 estimate of $9.46 matches the broader consensus, while Zacks continues to rate WWD “Hold.” This suggests the estimate increases are constructive but not strong enough to trigger a more bullish analyst view. Woodward analyst information
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks reduced its Q3 2027 EPS forecast to $2.77 from $2.82 and cut its Q4 2027 estimate to $2.77 from $2.86. It also lowered Q3 2028 EPS to $3.24 from $3.27, indicating some moderation in projected earnings growth. Woodward research information

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.