Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 98.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,148 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 106,016 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WWD. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 222.7% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 23,990 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,716,000 after purchasing an additional 16,557 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 13.0% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 870 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,835,915 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $899,431,000 after buying an additional 77,654 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in Woodward during the first quarter worth $1,301,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Woodward during the first quarter worth $1,036,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WWD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 target price (down previously from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a report on Friday, October 4th. Truist Financial upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $152.00 to $187.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Woodward from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.67.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.65, for a total value of $1,776,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,044,929.15. This represents a 46.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 27,913 shares of company stock valued at $4,907,304 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.12% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $169.54 on Monday. 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 fifty day moving average price of $167.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.89. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $126.31 and a 12 month high of $188.35. The firm has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.38.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.72%.

Woodward 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.