Karrie Bem Sells 280 Shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) EVP Karrie Bem sold 280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $372.66, for a total value of $104,344.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,601,320.02. The trade was a 6.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of WWD opened at $344.85 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $371.20 and a 200-day moving average of $339.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $20.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.03 and a 1 year high of $407.00.

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

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter worth $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $228,849,000 after acquiring an additional 497,722 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 395,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WWD shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $427.00 to $429.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Woodward from $404.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $440.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $470.00 target price on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.27.

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.