Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD – Free Report) by 9.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 321,190 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,439 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.54% of Woodward worth $31,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 265.4% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 380 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. State of Wyoming increased its stake in Woodward by 66.9% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 821 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward during the first quarter valued at $104,000. 79.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Woodward Stock Performance
Shares of WWD opened at $129.85 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.26 and a 52-week high of $133.15.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 31st. The technology company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.40. Woodward had a net margin of 7.34% and a return on equity of 11.46%. The company had revenue of $800.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $703.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 EPS. Woodward’s revenue was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Woodward Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 11th. Woodward’s payout ratio is 26.51%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward
In other Woodward news, VP Christopher Fawzy sold 4,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.16, for a total value of $522,764.64. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $639,390.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Woodward news, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $253,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,534,200. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher Fawzy sold 4,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.16, for a total transaction of $522,764.64. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $639,390.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,079 shares of company stock valued at $999,985. 1.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several analysts have weighed in on WWD shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $92.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $110.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $110.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.78.
Woodward Profile
Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.