Key Points
- COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward at an average price of $296.26 on Nov. 28, raising $1.48M and cutting his stake by 24.83% to 15,135 shares (≈$4.48M).
- Woodward's Board authorized a $1.8 billion share repurchase, representing up to about 11.6% of outstanding stock, signaling confidence the shares may be undervalued.
- The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.09 vs. $1.83; revenue $995.3M vs. $943.2M), gave FY2026 guidance of $7.50–$8.00 EPS, and holds a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy."
Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.26, for a total value of $1,481,300.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,483,895.10. This trade represents a 24.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.
Woodward Stock Performance
Shares of WWD opened at $298.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.16, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.26. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $262.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $249.25. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $304.72.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $995.26 million during 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $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 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to reacquire up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.
Woodward Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's payout ratio is presently 15.58%.
Institutional Trading of Woodward
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Woodward during the second quarter valued at $246,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Woodward by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 165,286 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,163,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Woodward by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,681 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $4,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new position in Woodward during the 2nd quarter valued at about $698,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Woodward in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,682,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 target price on Woodward and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Woodward from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $281.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Zacks Research lowered Woodward from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $286.67.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WWD
Woodward Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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