Key Points
- COO Thomas Cromwell sold 5,000 shares of Woodward on December 10 at an average price of $287.15 for a total of $1,435,750, cutting his ownership by 24.83% to 15,135 shares.
- Woodward beat quarterly estimates, reporting $2.09 EPS and $995.26 million in revenue, and set FY2026 guidance of $7.50–$8.00 EPS.
- Board authorized a $1.80 billion share buyback (up to 11.6% of shares) and the company pays a $0.28 quarterly dividend ($1.12 annual, ~0.4% yield), while analysts mostly rate the stock a Buy with an average target of about $286.67.
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 Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.15, for a total transaction of $1,435,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 15,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,346,015.25. The trade was a 24.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
Woodward Stock Up 0.8%
Shares of WWD opened at $290.19 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $146.82 and a 52 week high of $304.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.36, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $268.21 and a 200-day moving average of $252.56.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 24th. The technology company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.26. Woodward had a return on equity of 17.68% and a net margin of 12.39%.The firm had revenue of $995.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $943.15 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.41 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Woodward Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.58%.
Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share 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 purchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Woodward during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 112 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Woodward during the second quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Woodward from $294.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wolfe Research set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Woodward and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Woodward from $329.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $286.67.
View Our Latest 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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