Wabtec $WAB Shares Acquired by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $9,607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 240.8% during the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,334,000 after purchasing an additional 11,252 shares during the period. Varenne Capital Partners grew its position in Wabtec by 39.5% in the 2nd quarter. Varenne Capital Partners now owns 277,078 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,006,000 after buying an additional 78,394 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Wabtec during the 2nd quarter valued at about $9,371,000. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,201,000. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 229,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,990,000 after acquiring an additional 11,406 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WAB opened at $256.68 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $226.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Wabtec has a 52-week low of $151.81 and a 52-week high of $262.40.

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

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is an increase from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec’s payout ratio is 14.53%.

Wabtec announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on WAB shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Susquehanna set a $300.00 price objective on Wabtec in a research note on Thursday. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.90.

Wabtec News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Wabtec this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and raised FY‑2026 guidance — Wabtec reported stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue and EPS and issued upbeat FY‑2026 guidance, supporting near‑term earnings visibility and margin outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: $1.2 billion share repurchase authorized — the board approved a buyback that could reduce share count by ~2.9%, a direct EPS support and signal of management confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Dellner Couplers completed — adds safety‑critical passenger‑rail coupler technology and expands Wabtec’s transit product footprint, improving cross‑sell opportunities in passenger systems. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting forecasts and price targets — multiple shops raised estimates and targets after Q4, including material upgrades that can draw buy‑side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Composite rating and market sentiment improving — third‑party composite score coverage shows rising quality/strength metrics, which can support momentum flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large rail orders in the market — major customers (e.g., CSX) are issuing sizable locomotive contracts that expand the addressable market; upside to Wabtec depends on bid wins and delivery timing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum investor pieces highlight Wabtec as a buy candidate — useful for flows but not a fundamental driver by itself. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO insider sale disclosed — Rafael Santana sold ~1,798 shares (~$442k); modest in size versus his total holdings but some traders view insider sales as a caution. Read More.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total value of $441,786.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 118,749 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,177,816.79. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Rogerio Mendonca sold 2,019 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider owned 9,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,041,277.16. The trade was a 17.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 15,673 shares of company stock worth $3,420,576 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.