HB Wealth Management LLC Acquires Shares of 1,103 Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,103 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Woodward by 191.2% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 2,314.3% in the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Berbice Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 300 shares of the technology company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Woodward by 25.9% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 505 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Woodward news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $211,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 48,981 shares in the company, valued at $12,245,250. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Terence J. Voskuil sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.03, for a total value of $2,310,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,945 shares in the company, valued at $1,142,443.35. This trade represents a 66.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 39,296 shares of company stock worth $8,711,033. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $259.87. 329,041 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 606,403. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $243.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $206.12. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $145.98 and a one year high of $267.45. The company has a market cap of $15.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. Woodward had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 16.57%. The company had revenue of $915.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $884.98 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.72%.

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.