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

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.49, for a total value of $1,492,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,517,646.15. This represents a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Woodward Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD traded up $1.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $303.30. 170,505 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 524,753. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $264.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $249.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $146.82 and a 12 month high of $304.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.08.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a net margin of 12.39% and a return on equity of 17.68%. The business had revenue of $995.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.58%.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.80 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Woodward by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 463 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Woodward by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,036 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in Woodward by 80.0% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,769 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Investment Services LLC bought a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $2,340,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Woodward by 2.6% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 35,704 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,781,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.