Key Points
- CEO sale: Woodward CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares on March 9 at $367.40 for a total of $1,837,000, reducing his stake by 7.06% to 65,854 shares per an SEC filing.
- Strong results and shareholder actions: Woodward beat estimates with $2.17 EPS (vs. $1.65) and $996.45M revenue (+28.8% YoY), set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.60 EPS, and the board authorized a $1.8B share repurchase while raising the quarterly dividend to $0.32.
Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total value of $1,010,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.
Woodward Price Performance
NASDAQ WWD traded down $12.51 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $373.41. 27,580 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 637,085. The company has a market capitalization of $22.26 billion, a PE ratio of 46.80, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.36. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $146.82 and a 52-week high of $403.31. The firm's 50-day moving average is $358.44 and its 200-day moving average is $298.71.
Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.52. The business 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%. The business's revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Equities 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 stock buyback plan on Thursday, November 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Woodward Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Woodward's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.12%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WWD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $354.80.
Check Out Our Latest Report on WWD
Institutional Trading of Woodward
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Woodward by 1,766.7% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Woodward in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Woodward Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Recommended Stories
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
