Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Trims Stock Position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 3.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,378 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 739 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 191.2% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in Woodward by 2,314.3% during the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY purchased a new position in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Woodward by 94.2% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 371 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $247.55 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $247.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $211.89 and its 200 day moving average is $191.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.95.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.61 million. Woodward had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 16.86%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.09%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other Woodward news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $115,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,561,640. This trade represents a 0.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.38, for a total transaction of $1,071,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 72,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,623,585.64. This trade represents a 6.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,250 shares of company stock worth $9,035,789 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Truist Financial set a $267.00 target price on shares of Woodward and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $291.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.88.

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.