Insider Selling: Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Insider Sells 7,936 Shares of Stock

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) insider Nalin Jain sold 7,936 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.09, for a total transaction of $2,095,818.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 6,364 shares in the company, valued at $1,680,668.76. The trade was a 55.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Wabtec Price Performance

WAB stock traded up $1.36 during trading on Thursday, reaching $264.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 390,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 810,953. The company’s fifty day moving average is $233.99 and its 200-day moving average is $211.35. The company has a market capitalization of $45.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.01. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $151.81 and a 1 year high of $266.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio is 18.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Susquehanna set a $300.00 target price on Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stephens upped their price target on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.00.

Institutional Trading of Wabtec

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 14.7% during the second quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,152 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Wabtec by 45.8% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,722 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Wabtec by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 25,445 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,327,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wabtec in the second quarter worth about $233,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Wabtec in the second quarter worth approximately $334,000. 91.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.