Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Sells $1,837,000.00 in Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD traded up $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $385.91. The company had a trading volume of 379,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 648,059. The stock has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $356.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.09. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on WWD. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $354.80.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WWD. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 300.8% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 6,766 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,710,000 after acquiring an additional 5,078 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Woodward by 35.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,688 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $6,300,000 after acquiring an additional 6,741 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth about $1,011,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth about $12,300,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth about $878,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Woodward

Woodward, Inc (NASDAQ: WWD) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of control systems and components for the aerospace and industrial markets. Founded in 1870 and headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company specializes in motion control, fuel systems, actuation, and digital control solutions. Its offerings enable precision management of flow, pressure and motion in critical applications ranging from aircraft engines and power turbines to hydraulic systems.

Woodward’s product portfolio is organized into two primary segments: Aerospace and Industrial.