Wall Street Zen Upgrades Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) to “Buy”

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WAB. Stephens upped their price target on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.90.

Wabtec Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:WAB opened at $256.68 on Friday. Wabtec has a 52-week low of $151.81 and a 52-week high of $262.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $226.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.20.

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

Wabtec announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Wabtec

In related news, VP David L. Deninno sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.62, for a total value of $1,073,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 50,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,827,579. This trade represents a 9.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total transaction of $441,786.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 118,749 shares in the company, valued at $29,177,816.79. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,673 shares of company stock valued at $3,420,576 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Wabtec by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 4,448 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $949,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 39,910 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,519,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Quartz Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Wabtec by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Quartz Partners LLC now owns 21,489 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,587,000 after purchasing an additional 2,498 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Wabtec by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 454 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in Wabtec by 347.2% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 474 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Wabtec this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and raised FY‑2026 guidance — Wabtec reported stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue and EPS and issued upbeat FY‑2026 guidance, supporting near‑term earnings visibility and margin outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: $1.2 billion share repurchase authorized — the board approved a buyback that could reduce share count by ~2.9%, a direct EPS support and signal of management confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Dellner Couplers completed — adds safety‑critical passenger‑rail coupler technology and expands Wabtec’s transit product footprint, improving cross‑sell opportunities in passenger systems. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting forecasts and price targets — multiple shops raised estimates and targets after Q4, including material upgrades that can draw buy‑side interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Composite rating and market sentiment improving — third‑party composite score coverage shows rising quality/strength metrics, which can support momentum flows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large rail orders in the market — major customers (e.g., CSX) are issuing sizable locomotive contracts that expand the addressable market; upside to Wabtec depends on bid wins and delivery timing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum investor pieces highlight Wabtec as a buy candidate — useful for flows but not a fundamental driver by itself. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO insider sale disclosed — Rafael Santana sold ~1,798 shares (~$442k); modest in size versus his total holdings but some traders view insider sales as a caution. Read More.

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.