Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas Cromwell Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.49, for a total transaction of $1,492,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,517,646.15. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Woodward Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:WWD opened at $303.45 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.53. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $304.72. The firm has a market cap of $18.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $943.15 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. Woodward’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.41 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 15.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WWD. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $246,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Woodward by 0.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Woodward by 7.2% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth $698,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth $3,682,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Woodward

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.