Charles Blankenship Sells 2,625 Shares of Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

Key Points

• CEO Charles Blankenship sold 2,625 shares on March 10 at an average price of $384.80 for $1,010,100, leaving him with 65,854 shares (a 3.83% reduction in his position).
• Woodward beat expectations with $2.17 EPS vs. $1.65 expected and revenue of $996.45M (up 28.8% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.60 EPS.
• The board authorized a $1.8 billion stock repurchase (up to 11.6% of shares) and increased the quarterly dividend to $0.32 ($1.28 annualized), signaling a focus on capital returns.

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 2,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.80, for a total transaction of $1,010,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,340,619.20. This represents a 3.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Woodward Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:WWD traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $385.91. 379,238 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 648,059. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $356.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.09. The firm has a market cap of $23.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. Woodward, Inc. has a 1-year low of $146.82 and a 1-year high of $403.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 19.07%. The business had revenue of $996.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $901.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.35 EPS. Woodward's revenue was up 28.8% on a year-over-year basis. Woodward has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 20th that permits the company to repurchase $1.80 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to repurchase up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 19th. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WWD shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Woodward from $362.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Melius Research raised shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $354.80.

Institutional Trading of Woodward

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WWD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Woodward in the 4th quarter worth approximately $251,365,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Woodward in the third quarter valued at approximately $184,721,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Woodward by 122.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 905,578 shares of the technology company's stock worth $228,849,000 after buying an additional 497,722 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Woodward by 136.2% during the 4th quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 686,200 shares of the technology company's stock worth $207,452,000 after buying an additional 395,726 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Woodward by 1,086.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 330,514 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $83,524,000 after buying an additional 302,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Woodward Company Profile

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.

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