Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 142.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,588 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,521 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC's holdings in Woodward were worth $472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Woodward by 191.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in 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 bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of WWD stock traded up $3.52 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $252.34. 79,063 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 480,378. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $145.98 and a 1 year high of $254.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $14.98 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $218.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.01.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its 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 11.36% and a return on equity of 16.86%. The company had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.61 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Woodward's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd were given a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward's payout ratio is 18.09%.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total value of $120,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 49,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,958,480. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.41, for a total transaction of $1,142,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 67,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,346,639.49. This represents a 6.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,250 shares of company stock worth $9,035,789. Insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.