Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on WAB. Wolfe Research raised shares of Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wabtec has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $269.00.

Wabtec Price Performance

Shares of WAB stock opened at $264.57 on Friday. Wabtec has a 12-month low of $151.81 and a 12-month high of $266.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $232.98 and a 200-day moving average of $210.99.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.The firm’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.68 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

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

Wabtec declared that its board has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, insider Michael Fetsko sold 5,058 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.72, for a total transaction of $1,091,111.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 36,882 shares in the company, valued at $7,956,185.04. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory Sbrocco sold 952 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.43, for a total value of $246,025.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,159 shares in the company, valued at $5,468,120.37. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 20,125 shares of company stock worth $4,591,336 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wabtec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAB. DGS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wabtec during the fourth quarter worth approximately $213,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the 4th quarter valued at $731,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $16,787,000 after purchasing an additional 67,448 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Wabtec in the fourth quarter worth $777,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Wabtec by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,176 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.