Jefferies Financial Group Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Wabtec (NYSE:WAB)

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $290.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $300.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 19.37% from the stock’s current price.

WAB has been the topic of several other reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Citigroup raised their target price on Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research upgraded Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.08.

Wabtec Trading Up 2.3%

WAB traded up $5.57 on Tuesday, reaching $242.94. 216,782 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 828,220. The company has a market cap of $41.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.57, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.11. Wabtec has a twelve month low of $151.81 and a twelve month high of $266.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $245.93 and its 200-day moving average is $220.25.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 14.12%. Wabtec’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.68 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

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 buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wabtec news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.62, for a total transaction of $302,013.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,155,904.54. This trade represents a 8.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total transaction of $282,725.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 190,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,369,866.40. The trade was a 0.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,512 shares of company stock valued at $8,160,028. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wabtec

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WAB. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 865 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Wabtec by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,082 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $818,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

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.