Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Director Sells $1,002,060.00 in Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Director Gregg C. Sengstack sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.01, for a total transaction of $1,002,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,914,324.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Woodward Stock Up 2.6 %

NASDAQ:WWD traded up $4.46 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $173.29. The stock had a trading volume of 269,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 398,768. The company has a current ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.18 and a 1-year high of $173.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.73. The company has a market cap of $10.45 billion, a PE ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.31.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The technology company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.34. Woodward had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 16.50%. The company had revenue of $835.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $807.04 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.01 earnings per share. Woodward’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Woodward, Inc. will post 5.88 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 21st. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 17.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WWD. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Woodward from $156.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $159.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $143.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Woodward from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Woodward from $168.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 79.3% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 199 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the first quarter worth about $31,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Woodward during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Woodward in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.