Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas G. Cromwell Sells 10,000 Shares

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.49, for a total transaction of $1,864,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 15,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,886,305.73. This represents a 39.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Woodward Stock Down 2.5 %

Woodward stock opened at $188.19 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $186.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. Woodward, Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.45 and a 52 week high of $201.64.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were issued a $0.28 dividend. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Woodward’s payout ratio is presently 18.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Woodward by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,355 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Delta Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Woodward by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Delta Capital Management LLC now owns 1,805 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC increased its holdings in Woodward by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,324 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Woodward by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WWD has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com raised Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $197.38.

About Woodward

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.