MML Investors Services LLC Purchases 2,142 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,029 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,142 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $2,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berbice Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. NBT Bank N A NY acquired a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in Woodward by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 374 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.86, for a total transaction of $864,156.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This represents a 20.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 15,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,855,506.50. This represents a 39.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,900 shares of company stock worth $5,215,444 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD stock opened at $181.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.52. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.98 and a 12 month high of $201.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.77 billion, a PE ratio of 30.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.12.

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

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WWD has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Woodward from $229.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 target price on shares of Woodward and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $193.75.

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.