Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Upgraded at Rothschild & Co Redburn

Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $285.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $262.00.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stephens increased their price objective on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $300.00 price objective on Wabtec in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $270.45.

Wabtec Trading Down 1.7%

WAB stock opened at $241.30 on Thursday. Wabtec has a 12 month low of $151.81 and a 12 month high of $266.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $245.78 and its 200 day moving average is $219.72. The company has a market capitalization of $41.15 billion, a PE ratio of 35.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during 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 previous year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

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 paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec’s payout ratio is presently 18.16%.

Wabtec announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total value of $282,725.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 190,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,369,866.40. This trade represents a 0.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.62, for a total value of $302,013.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,155,904.54. The trade was a 8.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,512 shares of company stock worth $8,160,028. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wabtec

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 47,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the 2nd quarter worth $9,371,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its stake in Wabtec by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 229,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,990,000 after buying an additional 11,406 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its position in Wabtec by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 172,011 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $36,011,000 after buying an additional 1,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Wabtec during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,801,000. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.