Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $266.06 and last traded at $263.4740, with a volume of 101855 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $262.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stephens raised their target price on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” 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. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $269.00.

Wabtec Trading Up 0.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $45.05 billion, a PE ratio of 38.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $231.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.47.

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

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

Wabtec announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,177,816.79. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP David L. Deninno sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.62, for a total transaction of $1,073,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 50,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,827,579. This trade represents a 9.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 20,125 shares of company stock worth $4,591,336 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wabtec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Wabtec during the 4th quarter worth approximately $731,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Wabtec by 602.4% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 78,644 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,787,000 after purchasing an additional 67,448 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Wabtec in the 4th quarter worth $777,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Wabtec by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KKM Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the fourth quarter worth about $232,000. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.