Legal & General Group Plc Takes $37.08 Million Position in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 29th, 2026

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 87,147 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,076,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $11,728,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth $6,483,000. Stockbridge Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth $115,155,000. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 11.7% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 110,116 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,848,000 after purchasing an additional 11,558 shares during the period. Finally, Tribune Investment Group LP purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter valued at $5,752,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $341.81 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.31 and a 12-month high of $450.92. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $387.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $379.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $20.18 billion, a PE ratio of 38.02, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.88.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Woodward had a return on equity of 21.89% and a net margin of 13.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.76 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.2% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.300-9.500 EPS. Analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shawn M. Mclevige sold 2,150 shares of the 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Korte sold 14,700 shares of Woodward 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,578,725.70. This trade represents a 76.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on WWD. Susquehanna started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “positive” rating and a $423.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Woodward from $450.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $419.00.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WWD

Woodward Profile

(Free Report)

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.