Cresset Asset Management LLC Sells 72,579 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Cresset Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 96.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,755 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 72,579 shares during the quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $458,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Woodward by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,522 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP increased its stake in Woodward by 188.0% in the 4th quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 16,440 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,736,000 after buying an additional 10,732 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Woodward by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,057 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $842,000 after buying an additional 1,025 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP increased its stake in Woodward by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 4,136 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Woodward by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 33,815 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,627,000 after buying an additional 3,241 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Woodward stock opened at $206.08 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $145.98 and a twelve month high of $208.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $181.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.91. The firm has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.52, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.25. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $883.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.61 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. Woodward’s payout ratio is 18.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $187.00 price target on Woodward and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Woodward from $175.00 to $193.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Woodward from $205.00 to $209.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $195.00.

Insider Activity at Woodward

In related news, Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 17,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,278,157. This trade represents a 20.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John D. Cohn sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.52, for a total transaction of $536,256.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 20,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,015,216.80. The trade was a 11.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,700 shares of company stock valued at $5,751,700. Insiders own 0.82% of the company’s stock.

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.