Charles Blankenship Sells 2,625 Shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Woodward Stock Performance

WWD traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $385.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 379,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 648,059. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $356.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.09. The stock has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.60, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $403.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $901.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.35 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Research analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to purchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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 paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Melius Research raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Woodward by 3.5% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Woodward by 2.8% during the third quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Woodward by 4.2% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Woodward by 1.7% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Company Profile

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.