Thomas G. Cromwell Sells 10,000 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

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

Woodward Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WWD opened at $188.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a PE ratio of 31.50, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $186.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $176.47. Woodward, Inc. has a twelve month low of $144.45 and a twelve month high of $201.64.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company earned $1.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 EPS for the current year.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. This is a positive change from Woodward’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Woodward’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Trading of Woodward

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. boosted its stake in Woodward by 130.2% in the fourth quarter. Naya Capital Management UK Ltd. now owns 1,328,765 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $221,133,000 after acquiring an additional 751,541 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Woodward in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $120,220,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Woodward by 135.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 992,189 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $170,170,000 after purchasing an additional 570,124 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Woodward by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 1,521,300 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $253,175,000 after purchasing an additional 367,300 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Woodward in the fourth quarter worth $31,187,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.18% of the company’s stock.

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.