KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,648 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Woodward were worth $283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Woodward during the first quarter worth about $1,911,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its position in Woodward by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 26,042 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,011,000 after purchasing an additional 3,759 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 114.4% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,038 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,971,000 after buying an additional 9,092 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 17,072.3% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 76,760 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $13,165,000 after buying an additional 76,313 shares during the period. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 16.3% in the second quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 93,324 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $16,274,000 after acquiring an additional 13,097 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $170.00 to $190.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Woodward from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $160.00 price target (down previously from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.67.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In other news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 7,913 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total value of $1,385,803.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,511 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,015,921.43. The trade was a 40.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 27,913 shares of company stock valued at $4,907,304. Insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Woodward stock opened at $170.85 on Wednesday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $128.52 and a 52 week high of $188.35. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $167.35 and a 200-day moving average of $170.92.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.72%.

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.