California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 1,834 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

California State Teachers Retirement System decreased its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 55,767 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,834 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.09% of Woodward worth $9,281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. 111 Capital purchased a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $1,134,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,117 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,348,000 after buying an additional 7,248 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at about $124,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $186,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD traded up $12.47 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $230.66. The stock had a trading volume of 1,052,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,403. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a PE ratio of 38.64, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.98 and a 52 week high of $231.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $188.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.89.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $838.61 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. Woodward's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 18.09%.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.98, for a total value of $1,079,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 73,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,791,809.66. This represents a 6.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,855,506.50. This trade represents a 39.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 46,100 shares of company stock valued at $9,134,144. Insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $232.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Three 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.75.

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.