Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on WAB. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research raised Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.90.

Wabtec Price Performance

Wabtec stock opened at $256.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $227.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.87. Wabtec has a 12-month low of $151.81 and a 12-month high of $262.40. The stock has a market cap of $43.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.01.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 14.12%. Wabtec’s revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.68 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other news, insider Rogerio Mendonca sold 2,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.51, for a total transaction of $433,095.69. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,041,277.16. This represents a 17.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David L. Deninno sold 5,000 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.62, for a total value of $1,073,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 50,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,827,579. This trade represents a 9.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,673 shares of company stock worth $3,420,576. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CI Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Wabtec by 6.1% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 865 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its holdings in Wabtec by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Wabtec by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 797 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Wabtec by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,082 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $818,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 748 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wabtec Company Profile

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.