Insider Selling: Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD) CEO Sells 2,450 Shares of Stock

Woodward, Inc. (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) CEO Charles P. Blankenship sold 2,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.85, for a total value of $565,582.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 64,739 shares in the company, valued at $14,944,998.15. This trade represents a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Woodward Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WWD traded up $2.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $235.99. The company had a trading volume of 124,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 468,113. Woodward, Inc. has a 12-month low of $145.98 and a 12-month high of $237.50. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $191.62 and its 200 day moving average is $185.07. The stock has a market cap of $14.01 billion, a PE ratio of 39.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.24.

Woodward (NASDAQ:WWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The technology company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $883.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $838.61 million. Woodward had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 16.76%. Woodward's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.62 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Woodward, Inc. will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Woodward Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WWD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $291.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up from $225.00) on shares of Woodward in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Woodward from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Truist Financial set a $232.00 target price on Woodward in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Woodward from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $217.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Woodward by 191.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 166 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in shares of Woodward by 2,314.3% during the 1st quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Woodward by 189.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 171 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Woodward by 116.7% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 182 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBT Bank N A NY bought a new stake in shares of Woodward during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 81.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Woodward Company Profile

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.