Junto Capital Management LP Invests $80.16 Million in Wabtec $WAB

Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 399,858 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,160,000. Wabtec accounts for 1.6% of Junto Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Wabtec during the second quarter worth about $347,194,000. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Wabtec by 68.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,205,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $442,056,000 after acquiring an additional 896,900 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 194.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,033,304 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $207,146,000 after acquiring an additional 682,048 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $121,612,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 76.3% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,229,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $245,534,000 after acquiring an additional 532,121 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WAB. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research raised Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Susquehanna set a $300.00 price target on Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.00.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Shares of Wabtec stock opened at $236.60 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $242.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $216.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 1.79 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 has a one year low of $151.81 and a one year high of $266.27.

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

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 currently 18.16%.

Wabtec declared that its board has authorized a share buyback 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 reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Rogerio Mendonca sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.21, for a total value of $924,735.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 10,101 shares in the company, valued at $2,668,785.21. This represents a 25.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nalin Jain sold 7,936 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 directly owned 6,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,680,668.76. The trade was a 55.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,310 shares of company stock valued at $8,541,509. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.