Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 16,143 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,687,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Woodward by 3.5% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,758 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,355 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Woodward by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Delta Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Woodward by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Delta Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $184.74 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $185.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.36. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.45 and a 12-month high of $201.64. The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 30.94, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on WWD shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.38.

Insider Activity

In other Woodward news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This trade represents a 20.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.