Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its holdings in shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 3.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 23,635 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 824 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Woodward were worth $4,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $41,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Woodward by 101.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 246 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter valued at $69,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Woodward Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $176.05 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $167.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.87. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.46 and a 12-month high of $188.35. The company has a market capitalization of $10.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. Woodward’s payout ratio is 16.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WWD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Woodward from $228.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Woodward from $158.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 target price (down from $186.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $174.67.

Insider Transactions at Woodward

In related news, COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 7,913 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.13, for a total transaction of $1,385,803.69. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 11,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,015,921.43. This represents a 40.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 27,913 shares of company stock valued at $4,907,304 over the last three months. 1.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.