Savant Capital LLC Has $3.06 Million Stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD)

Savant Capital LLC reduced its stake in Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) by 3.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 45,201 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 1,477 shares during the period. Woodward accounts for approximately 0.7% of Savant Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Woodward were worth $3,055,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 20,843.7% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,613,757 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $381,285,000 after buying an additional 5,586,953 shares during the period. Ardevora Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Woodward during the second quarter worth approximately $34,344,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Woodward by 7.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,576,108 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $310,809,000 after buying an additional 303,863 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Woodward by 60.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 644,534 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,777,000 after buying an additional 243,036 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Woodward by 14.0% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 885,229 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $60,124,000 after buying an additional 108,955 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.44% of the company’s stock.

Shares of Woodward, Inc. (WWD) opened at 69.47 on Monday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.09 and a 52 week high of $72.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.81.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 24th. The technology company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.09. Woodward had a net margin of 9.67% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The firm had revenue of $548.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $530.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post $3.10 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 18th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.77%.

A number of research analysts have commented on WWD shares. CL King started coverage on Woodward in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $79.00 price target on the stock. BidaskClub cut Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. CIBC started coverage on Woodward in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $82.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Woodward from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 20th. Finally, Cowen and Company restated a “market perform” rating and set a $62.00 price target (up from $58.00) on shares of Woodward in a research note on Friday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.89.

In related news, CFO Robert F. Weber, Jr. sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.49, for a total transaction of $498,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,264,183.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul Donovan sold 5,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.55, for a total transaction of $402,135.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 39,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,755,118.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc is an independent designer, manufacturer and service provider of energy control and optimization solutions. The Company designs, produces and services energy control products for various applications. The Company’s segments include Aerospace and Industrial. The Company’s Aerospace segment designs, manufactures and services systems and products for the management of fuel, air, combustion and motion control.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WWD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD).