Woodward Drops as Investors React to Third-Quarter Event and Reassess Expectations

Woodward (WWD) is down 13.5% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely catalyst is Woodward’s fiscal 2026 third-quarter results event on July 29, which put the focus on whether the company could extend the strong momentum and raised outlook it posted earlier this year. Because the full new earnings release was not easily visible in primary search results at the time of review, the exact trigger is not fully confirmed; this could be because investors were disappointed by updated guidance, margins, or the near-term demand outlook despite already elevated expectations. ([ir.woodward.com](https://ir.woodward.com/news/news-details/2026/Woodward-Schedules-Fiscal-2026-Third-Quarter-Earnings-Release-and-Conference-Call/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

Details:

Woodward scheduled its fiscal 2026 third-quarter results for Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with a news release around 4:00 p.m. ET and a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET. ([ir.woodward.com](https://ir.woodward.com/news/news-details/2026/Woodward-Schedules-Fiscal-2026-Third-Quarter-Earnings-Release-and-Conference-Call/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

Earlier in fiscal 2026, Woodward reported very strong results, including second-quarter sales of about $1.1 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.27, then raised full-year guidance to sales growth of 20% to 23% and adjusted EPS of $9.15 to $9.45. ([ir.woodward.com](https://ir.woodward.com/news/news-details/2026/Woodward-Reports-Second-Quarter-Fiscal-Year-2026-Results/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

First-quarter results were also strong enough for management to lift guidance, which likely raised the bar for the July update and increased the risk of a negative reaction if the new outlook was not meaningfully better. ([ir.woodward.com](https://ir.woodward.com/financials/quarterly-results/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

On July 29, WWD showed unusually wide trading swings, opening at $405.92 and falling as low as $351.57, a sign that the market was rapidly repricing the shares around the earnings event.

Sources:

Woodward, SEC

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$WWD Insider Trading Activity

$WWD insiders have traded $WWD stock on the open market 63 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 63 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $WWD stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

CHARLES P BLANKENSHIP (Chairman of the Board and CEO) has made 0 purchases and 43 sales selling 27,625 shares for an estimated $10,490,500.
DANIEL G. KORTE has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 14,700 shares for an estimated $5,233,910.
EILEEN P. PATERSON sold 5,200 shares for an estimated $1,966,379
JOHN D COHN sold 2,250 shares for an estimated $831,645
SHAWN M MCLEVIGE (EVP and President, Aerospace) has made 0 purchases and 10 sales selling 1,850 shares for an estimated $711,088.
KARRIE M. BEM (EVP, Gen Counsel & Corp Sec) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 929 shares for an estimated $336,070.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

$WWD Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 358 institutional investors add shares of $WWD stock to their portfolio, and 262 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

EAGLE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC removed 1,848,057 shares (-42.9%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $661,456,561
DUQUESNE FAMILY OFFICE LLC removed 379,575 shares (-64.2%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $135,857,484
ARTISAN PARTNERS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP added 344,050 shares (+32.3%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $123,142,376
MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES CO /MA/ added 328,124 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $117,442,142
FMR LLC added 305,684 shares (+16.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $109,410,417
NAYA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT UK LTD removed 305,454 shares (-31.1%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $109,328,095
TIDAL INVESTMENTS LLC added 296,046 shares (+5450.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $105,960,784

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$WWD Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $WWD recently. We have seen 9 analysts offer price targets for $WWD in the last 6 months, with a median target of $423.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Charles Minervino from Susquehanna set a target price of $423.0 on 05/26/2026
Alexandra Mandery from Truist Securities set a target price of $415.0 on 05/05/2026
Gavin Parsons from UBS set a target price of $429.0 on 04/30/2026
Ken Herbert from RBC Capital set a target price of $450.0 on 04/17/2026
David Strauss from Wells Fargo set a target price of $440.0 on 04/01/2026
Scott Deuschle from Deutsche Bank set a target price of $445.0 on 02/09/2026
Noah Poponak from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $408.0 on 02/04/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.