Insider Selling: Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares at an average price of $384.64 for $1.923 million, reducing his stake by 7.06% to 65,829 shares valued at about $25.32 million.
• Woodward beat expectations in the latest quarter with EPS of $2.17 vs. $1.65 consensus and revenue of $996.45 million (up 28.8% year-over-year), and it set FY2026 guidance at $8.20–$8.60 EPS.
• The Board authorized a $1.8 billion share repurchase (≈11.6% of shares) and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 (annualized $1.28, yield ~0.3%).

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) CEO Charles Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of Woodward stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.64, for a total transaction of $1,923,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,320,466.56. This represents a 7.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Woodward Stock Performance

NASDAQ WWD traded down $3.07 on Thursday, hitting $381.92. The stock had a trading volume of 387,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 645,680. The company's 50-day moving average is $350.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.93. Woodward, Inc. has a one year low of $146.82 and a one year high of $403.31. The stock has a market cap of $22.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The technology company reported $2.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.52. Woodward had a return on equity of 19.07% and a net margin of 12.89%.The business had revenue of $996.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $901.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.35 earnings per share. The business'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. On average, analysts expect that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Woodward announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Woodward Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This is an increase from Woodward's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Woodward

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its stake in Woodward by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,916 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Woodward during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Woodward by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 9,183 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,776,000 after buying an additional 1,213 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,287 shares of the technology company's stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Woodward by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,671 shares of the technology company's stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WWD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Woodward from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $378.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Woodward in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Woodward in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Woodward currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $354.80.

About Woodward

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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