Insider Selling: Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) COO Thomas G. Cromwell sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.49, for a total value of $1,864,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 15,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,886,305.73. The trade was a 39.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Woodward Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ WWD traded down $4.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $188.19. 706,238 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 450,575. The company’s 50-day moving average is $186.08 and its 200-day moving average is $176.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.52, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. Woodward, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.45 and a 52-week high of $201.64.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.21. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward’s payout ratio is currently 18.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Woodward from $216.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Woodward from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Truist Financial increased their target price on Woodward from $226.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Woodward from $193.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Woodward from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $197.38.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodward

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Woodward during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. NBT Bank N A NY purchased a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in Woodward by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 278 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth $57,000. 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.