Banco Santander S.A. Raises Holdings in Wabtec $WAB

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 177,540 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,031 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $37,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in Wabtec by 125.9% in the 4th quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 131 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its stake in Wabtec by 189.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC grew its stake in Wabtec by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 20,160 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,303,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the period. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its stake in Wabtec by 206.4% in the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 25,245 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,388,000 after acquiring an additional 17,007 shares during the period. Finally, HRT Financial LP purchased a new stake in Wabtec in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,799,000. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wabtec news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the company’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 value of $16,362,494.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 128,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 64,341 shares of company stock valued at $17,277,171. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAB has been the subject of several research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 price objective (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $318.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Monday, April 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.82.

Wabtec Stock Up 1.1%

WAB stock opened at $264.90 on Friday. Wabtec has a 12 month low of $184.26 and a 12 month high of $275.84. The firm has a market cap of $44.95 billion, a PE ratio of 37.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $262.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.43. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 10.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Wabtec 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.