Thomas Cromwell Sells 5,000 Shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.39, for a total value of $1,496,950.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,531,267.65. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Woodward Stock Performance

Shares of WWD traded down $2.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $298.04. 567,773 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 525,519. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.26. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $248.63. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $146.82 and a twelve month high of $304.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.39.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. Woodward had a net margin of 11.32% and a return on equity of 16.57%. Woodward’s revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.41 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is 15.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WWD has been the topic of several research reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Alembic Global Advisors raised Woodward from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $281.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research cut Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.67.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 189.8% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Woodward Company Profile

Woodward, Inc designs, manufactures, and services control solutions for the aerospace and industrial markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Aerospace and Industrial. The Aerospace segment provides fuel pumps, metering units, actuators, air valves, specialty valves, fuel nozzles, and thrust reverser actuation systems for turbine engines and nacelles, and flight deck controls, actuators, servocontrols, motors, and sensors for aircraft.