BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Buys 107,314 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 374.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 135,996 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 107,314 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $27,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Wabtec by 240.8% in the 2nd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,334,000 after buying an additional 11,252 shares during the last quarter. Varenne Capital Partners increased its position in Wabtec by 39.5% in the 2nd quarter. Varenne Capital Partners now owns 277,078 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,006,000 after acquiring an additional 78,394 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Wabtec during the second quarter valued at $9,371,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 9.1% during the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 47,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Finally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Wabtec during the second quarter worth $8,201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp upped their target price on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.00.

Wabtec Price Performance

Shares of WAB opened at $261.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.67 billion, a PE ratio of 38.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.01. Wabtec has a 52-week low of $151.81 and a 52-week high of $263.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $230.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $209.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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 company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. 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%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.16%.

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share 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 reacquire up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $29,177,816.79. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rogerio Mendonca sold 2,019 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.51, for a total value of $433,095.69. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,041,277.16. This represents a 17.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,673 shares of company stock worth $3,420,576 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.