Nkcfo LLC Takes $663,000 Position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Nkcfo LLC acquired a new stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,800 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter worth approximately $84,157,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 94.2% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 434,385 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $75,735,000 after buying an additional 210,746 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 12.3% in the first quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,345,438 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,359,000 after acquiring an additional 147,856 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 524,683 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $71,425,000 after acquiring an additional 143,410 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,835,915 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $899,431,000 after acquiring an additional 77,654 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $168.04 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.67 and its 200 day moving average is $165.94. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $119.03 and a 1 year high of $188.35.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $190.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Woodward from $200.00 to $186.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Truist Financial raised shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $152.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $197.00 to $158.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus 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.