Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock Position Raised by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 7.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 425,854 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,698 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Woodward worth $74,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WWD. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter valued at approximately $535,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in Woodward by 279.3% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 44,434 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,748,000 after purchasing an additional 32,720 shares during the period. Point72 DIFC Ltd grew its position in Woodward by 930.1% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 12,979 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,263,000 after purchasing an additional 11,719 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at $399,000. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the second quarter valued at $252,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $170.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $163.65 and its 200-day moving average is $166.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $119.03 and a 12 month high of $188.35.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The technology company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.11. Woodward had a net margin of 11.47% and a return on equity of 17.16%. The firm had revenue of $847.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $853.29 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WWD. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $197.00 to $158.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $152.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.11.

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.