Appian Way Asset Management LP Invests $1.47 Million in Woodward, Inc. $WWD

Key Points

• Appian Way Asset Management LP has invested $1.47 million in Woodward, Inc., acquiring 8,044 shares which now represents 0.3% of its portfolio.
• Woodward's quarterly earnings exceeded analysts' expectations, reporting $1.76 EPS on revenues of $915.45 million.
• The company plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, reflecting a 0.5% yield, with the payout date set for September 4th.

Appian Way Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,044 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,468,000. Woodward makes up 0.3% of Appian Way Asset Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WWD. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 191.2% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew 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 last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Woodward by 189.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in Woodward by 116.7% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $211,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,981 shares in the company, valued at $12,245,250. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD traded down $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $242.85. 642,283 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 441,626. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.56 billion, a PE ratio of 38.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.27. The company's 50-day moving average is $250.93 and its 200 day moving average is $215.62. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $267.45.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The technology company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $915.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $884.98 million. Woodward had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 16.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.500-6.750 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on WWD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Woodward from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $281.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.11.

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.