Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $206.33.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 886 shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.34, for a total transaction of $161,553.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 176,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,145,630.30. The trade was a 0.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $52,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $110,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Finally, Camden National Bank bought a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $222,000. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of WAB opened at $181.52 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $191.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.02. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a 12 month low of $143.22 and a 12 month high of $210.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.31.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.06). Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 12.78%. As a group, analysts predict that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s payout ratio is 16.58%.

About Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries worldwide. It offers diesel-electric, battery, and liquid natural gas-powered locomotives; engines, electric motors, and propulsion systems; and marine and mining products.