Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Director John Cohn Sells 3,000 Shares

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Director John Cohn sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.33, for a total value of $888,990.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,393,319.75. This trade represents a 12.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Woodward Price Performance

NASDAQ:WWD traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $300.25. The company had a trading volume of 715,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 525,334. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $260.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.98. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $304.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.98 billion, a PE ratio of 47.51, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.26.

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

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 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on Woodward from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in Woodward by 2.6% in the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,586 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Woodward by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,221 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 1,553 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Woodward by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. grew its holdings in Woodward by 3.0% during the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,596 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. 81.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.