Vista Investment Partners LLC Invests $521,000 in Wabtec $WAB

Vista Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,440 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $521,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WAB. Piscataqua Savings Bank grew its position in Wabtec by 12,800.0% in the 3rd quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Motco lifted its position in shares of Wabtec by 6,600.0% during the third quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 370.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 160 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. North Capital Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 18,900.0% during the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 190 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Wabtec in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $2,896,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 60,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,926,227.10. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total value of $441,786.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 118,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,177,816.79. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 31,512 shares of company stock valued at $8,160,028 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Stock Performance

WAB stock opened at $256.51 on Thursday. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $151.81 and a 1-year high of $266.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $246.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.93. The company has a market capitalization of $43.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.56, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 14.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS 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 was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on WAB shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research raised 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, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.08.

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.