Insider Selling: Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Sells $1,837,000.00 in Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.40, for a total value of $1,837,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $24,194,759.60. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Woodward Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD opened at $356.80 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $360.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $299.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.94, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 1 year low of $146.82 and a 1 year high of $403.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. The firm had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $901.92 million. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WWD. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC acquired a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth $343,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,642 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,828 shares in the last quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,438 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,853,000 after acquiring an additional 3,775 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Woodward by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,916 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WWD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial upped their target price on Woodward from $366.00 to $404.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $354.80.

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.