Insider Selling: Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Sells $1,010,100.00 in Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,340,619.20. The trade was a 3.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Woodward Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of WWD opened at $356.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 44.94, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $403.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $360.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.91. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

Woodward announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new stake in Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.