Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Wabtec $WAB

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 3.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 196,666 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,611 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $49,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Wabtec by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Wabtec by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $770,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Wabtec by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its stake in Wabtec by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $438,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Wabtec by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wabtec Stock Down 0.8%

WAB opened at $261.85 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $252.83. The company has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.94. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $184.26 and a 1-year high of $284.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 10.64 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 18th. Wabtec’s payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Insider Transactions at Wabtec

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.07, for a total transaction of $304,787.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,212,071.98. The trade was a 0.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.50, for a total value of $285,107.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,158,047.50. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,734 shares of company stock valued at $1,504,571. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Stephens raised Wabtec to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Wabtec from $313.00 to $311.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wabtec presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.36.

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.