KBC Group NV Sells 116,004 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 23.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 373,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 116,004 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $93,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Stephens upgraded Wabtec to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Wabtec from $313.00 to $311.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $293.36.

Wabtec Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE WAB opened at $261.85 on Monday. Wabtec has a 52 week low of $184.26 and a 52 week high of $284.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $264.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $44.43 billion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Wabtec Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.50, for a total value of $285,107.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.06, for a total value of $303,612.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 124,077 shares in the company, valued at $32,391,541.62. The trade was a 0.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,734 shares of company stock worth $1,504,571. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.