Savant Capital LLC Cuts Position in Wabtec $WAB

Savant Capital LLC cut its holdings in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 72.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 17,851 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $1,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. BOKF NA boosted its position in Wabtec by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Wabtec during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC boosted its position in Wabtec by 83.2% during the fourth quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in Wabtec by 258.3% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Wabtec by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wabtec news, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total transaction of $970,624.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,347,722.67. This trade represents a 22.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total transaction of $16,362,494.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,613,940.81. This represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 67,191 shares of company stock valued at $17,922,608 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on WAB. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $318.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $303.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $289.82.

Wabtec Price Performance

WAB stock opened at $256.23 on Tuesday. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $184.26 and a 1 year high of $275.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $259.47 and a 200 day moving average of $239.86. The company has a market cap of $43.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.09. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 10.61 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.54%.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation) is a global provider of equipment, systems and services for the rail industry. The company supplies products and solutions to freight railroads, transit agencies and other industrial operators, focusing on technologies that improve the performance, safety and efficiency of locomotives and rail networks. Wabtec’s business spans new equipment manufacturing, aftermarket parts and services, and digital and control systems for rail operations.

Product and service offerings include locomotive systems and components, braking and air systems, propulsion and traction equipment, signaling and control technologies, and a range of aftermarket services such as maintenance, remanufacturing, parts distribution and fleet modernization.