Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Director John Cohn Sells 2,250 Shares

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Director John Cohn sold 2,250 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.62, for a total value of $831,645.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,974,551.50. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Woodward Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of WWD opened at $390.22 on Friday. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $384.66. The company has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a PE ratio of 48.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $275.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced 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 net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $901.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.11%.

Woodward declared that its board has approved a share repurchase 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 repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised 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 in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new position in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $360.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $342.80.

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.