Wabtec’s (WAB) Buy Rating Reiterated at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reiterated their buy rating on shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,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.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WAB. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $300.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.08.

Wabtec Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:WAB opened at $253.98 on Tuesday. Wabtec has a 12-month low of $151.81 and a 12-month high of $266.27. 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 market capitalization of $43.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $247.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.16.

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

Wabtec declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wabtec news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total value of $441,786.58. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nalin Jain sold 7,936 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.09, for a total transaction of $2,095,818.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,680,668.76. This represents a 55.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 31,512 shares of company stock worth $8,160,028 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wabtec

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Piscataqua Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of Wabtec by 12,800.0% in the 3rd quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 129 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Motco boosted its position in shares of Wabtec by 6,600.0% during the third quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 125.9% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 131 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 131 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McMillan Office Inc. acquired a new stake in Wabtec in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 91.69% of the stock is 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.