Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) EVP Sells $100,841.76 in Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) EVP Karrie Bem sold 279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $361.44, for a total value of $100,841.76. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,452,265.92. The trade was a 6.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Woodward Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of WWD traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $351.00. 200,706 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 684,488. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.03 and a 1 year high of $407.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $372.53 and its 200-day moving average is $338.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.17. Woodward had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 12.85%.The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.4% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.150-9.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 21st. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP lifted its position in Woodward by 136.2% in the fourth quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $207,452,000 after acquiring an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Woodward by 1,086.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $83,524,000 after acquiring an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $390.27.

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.