Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Shares Acquired by Larson Financial Group LLC

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,784 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,166 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $4,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth $28,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $176.35 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.13 and a twelve month high of $201.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.54, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.40. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $184.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.21.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued 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 return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 18.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $864,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This trade represents a 20.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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 boosted their price target on Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $197.38.

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.