Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Position Increased by First Western Trust Bank

First Western Trust Bank lifted its holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 359.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,023 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 54,787 shares during the quarter. Woodward accounts for approximately 0.5% of First Western Trust Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. First Western Trust Bank owned 0.12% of Woodward worth $12,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth $31,000. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 101.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 246 shares of the technology company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $170.00 to $190.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and set a $160.00 target price (down previously from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Truist Financial raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $152.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.67.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 7,913 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total transaction of $1,385,803.69. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 11,511 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,015,921.43. This trade represents a 40.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,913 shares of company stock worth $4,907,304. 1.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:WWD traded up $0.12 on Monday, hitting $169.67. 225,365 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 419,044. The stock has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 28.35, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $167.09 and a 200-day moving average of $170.89. Woodward, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $128.52 and a fifty-two week high of $188.35.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.72%.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in 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.