KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,800 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $2,130,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,355 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Woodward by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Delta Capital Management LLC grew its position in Woodward by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Delta Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in Woodward by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,790 shares of the technology company's stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

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Woodward Trading Up 2.5 %

WWD traded up $4.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $187.14. 445,403 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 462,777. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $185.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.45 and a 1-year high of $201.64.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 18.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.49, for a total transaction of $1,864,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 15,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,886,305.73. This represents a 39.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This trade represents a 20.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,900 shares of company stock worth $5,215,444. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

About Woodward

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.