Charles P. Blankenship Sells 5,000 Shares of Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.41, for a total value of $1,142,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,346,639.49. This represents a 6.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Woodward Price Performance

Woodward stock traded up $2.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $235.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 124,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 468,113. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $191.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.07. The company has a market capitalization of $14.01 billion, a PE ratio of 39.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Woodward, Inc. has a 12 month low of $145.98 and a 12 month high of $237.50.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.25. Woodward had a return on equity of 16.76% and a net margin of 11.18%. The firm had revenue of $883.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $838.61 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.62 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Woodward's dividend payout ratio is 18.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on WWD. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up previously from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $232.00 price target on Woodward in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $217.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Woodward by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,765 shares of the technology company's stock worth $687,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Woodward by 20.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 401 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC grew its position in Woodward by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,324 shares of the technology company's stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 1.2% during the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,830 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Woodward by 1.1% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 7,649 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 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.