Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 10,080 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 40.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,274 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,080 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.06% of Woodward worth $5,799,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WWD. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the second quarter valued at $37,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 1st quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth $69,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ WWD traded up $3.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $180.12. The company had a trading volume of 242,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 420,446. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.96. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $126.31 and a twelve month high of $188.35. The stock's 50 day moving average is $165.63 and its 200-day moving average is $169.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.75 billion, a PE ratio of 29.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.38.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Woodward's payout ratio is currently 16.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Woodward from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $152.00 to $187.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and set a $160.00 price target (down previously from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, October 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $174.67.

Woodward 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.