Inceptionr LLC Makes New $451,000 Investment in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,708 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $451,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,187,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,687,000. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,936 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 503,977 shares of the technology company's stock worth $83,872,000 after purchasing an additional 3,099 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $197.38.

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Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $864,156.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This represents a 20.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $178.99. The company had a trading volume of 357,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 456,299. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.29 and a 52-week high of $201.64. The company's 50 day moving average price is $184.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $10.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Woodward's payout ratio is presently 18.76%.

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.