Squarepoint Ops LLC Sells 54,489 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Free Report) by 49.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,589 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 54,489 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.09% of Woodward worth $9,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $465,000. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $294,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Woodward by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 10,286 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,712,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,137,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Woodward by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 503,977 shares of the technology company's stock worth $83,872,000 after purchasing an additional 3,099 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In other Woodward news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total value of $864,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This trade represents a 20.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.38, for a total value of $1,071,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 72,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,623,585.64. The trade was a 6.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,700 shares of company stock valued at $8,918,400. 0.82% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Trading Down 0.1%

WWD stock traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $216.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 90,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 462,905. The stock has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of 36.22, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 $228.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $187.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.92.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial set a $232.00 target price on Woodward in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 target price (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 target price on shares of Woodward and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $204.75.

Woodward Company 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.