Pacific Capital Partners Ltd Invests $5.93 Million in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Pacific Capital Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 32,500 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $5,931,000. Woodward accounts for approximately 3.8% of Pacific Capital Partners Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd owned 0.05% of Woodward as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Farallon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Woodward by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,521,300 shares of the technology company's stock worth $253,175,000 after acquiring an additional 367,300 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in Woodward by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,418,123 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $236,004,000 after purchasing an additional 38,774 shares in the last quarter. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. raised its stake in Woodward by 130.2% in the fourth quarter. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. now owns 1,328,765 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $221,133,000 after purchasing an additional 751,541 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,302,237 shares of the technology company's stock worth $216,771,000 after buying an additional 23,735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Duquesne Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,225,750 shares of the technology company's stock worth $203,989,000 after buying an additional 168,035 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Woodward from $229.00 to $255.00 and gave the company 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. According to MarketBeat, Woodward has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $242.13.

Woodward Stock Up 0.9%

WWD stock traded up $2.21 on Friday, reaching $259.29. 760,614 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 526,304. 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 $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $241.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward's payout ratio is 17.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Woodward

In related news, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.85, for a total value of $565,582.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 64,739 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,944,998.15. This represents a 3.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Randall Hobbs sold 846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $211,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 48,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,245,250. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 39,296 shares of company stock valued at $8,711,033. Company insiders own 0.82% of the company's stock.

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.