Diversified Trust Co Reduces Stake in Woodward, Inc.

Diversified Trust Co has made significant changes to its investment in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) during the third quarter of this year. According to their latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the firm reduced its holdings by 80%. At the end of the quarter, Diversified Trust Co owned 1,526 shares after selling 6,092 shares. The remaining shares are valued at approximately $262,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also adjusted their stakes in Woodward recently. Notably, GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its shares in the fourth quarter, boosting their holdings by 214% to 20,654 shares valued at about $2.81 million after acquiring an additional 14,077 shares. Vanguard Group Inc. also made slight adjustments to its stake, raising ownership by 0.6%, now holding 5,758,261 shares worth approximately $783.87 million, after purchasing 37,011 additional shares.

In addition, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund entered a new stake valued at approximately $3.13 million, while Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda and Cullen Investment Group LTD made new investments worth about $198,000 and $202,000, respectively. Overall, institutional investors now hold 81.18% of Woodward's stock.

Analyst Insights

In recent analyst reports, various firms have upgraded or adjusted their outlook on Woodward. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its price target to $162.00 while maintaining a “hold” rating as of October 3rd. Truist Financial upgraded their rating from “hold” to “buy” with a target price increase from $152.00 to $187.00 as of August 21st. Similarly, StockNews.com changed their rating from “hold” to “buy” as of October 4th.

Conversely, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective from $228.00 to $201.00 while maintaining a “buy” rating, indicating some analysts are still optimistic about the stock's potential. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating but lowered the target price from $186.00 to $160.00 as of October 4th. Overall, sentiments are generally positive, with five analysts rating it a hold and five offering buy ratings, leading to a consensus of a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $174.67 based on MarketBeat's analysis.

Woodward's Stock Overview

As of Friday, the stock price of Woodward (WWD) opened at $163.74, giving the company a market capitalization of $9.77 billion. Financial metrics show a price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 27.38 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73. Additionally, Woodward has a beta of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.96, and a quick ratio of 1.29; furthermore, the firm has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, indicating a healthy financial structure.

Woodward's stock performance over the last year has seen it reach a low of $119.03 and a high of $188.35. The latest quarterly earnings report, released on July 29th, showed earnings per share (EPS) at $1.63, which surpassed analysts' expectations of $1.52. The company reported revenue of $847.69 million for the quarter, a modest increase of 5.9% compared to the same period last year; during the previous year, it recorded an EPS of $1.37.

Dividend Announcement

Recently, Woodward announced a quarterly dividend, which is set to be paid on December 5th. Stockholders on record as of November 21st will receive a dividend of $0.25 per share, amounting to an annual dividend of $1.00, which translates to a dividend yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date is also November 21st, and the company maintains a dividend payout ratio of 16.72%.

About Woodward, Inc.

Woodward, Inc. specializes in creating, manufacturing, and servicing control solutions intended for both aerospace and industrial markets across the globe. The company is divided into two primary segments: Aerospace and Industrial, with their aerospace segment providing essential components like fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, and more for turbine engines and aircraft.

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