Erste Asset Management GmbH Lowers Stock Holdings in Wabtec $WAB

Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its position in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 203,373 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,386 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.12% of Wabtec worth $44,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Wabtec by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 131 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. BOKF NA grew its stake in shares of Wabtec by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Wabtec by 83.2% during the 4th quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in shares of Wabtec by 258.3% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wabtec Stock Performance

NYSE:WAB opened at $260.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.88, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.51. Wabtec has a twelve month low of $184.26 and a twelve month high of $275.84.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.09. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Wabtec will post 10.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wabtec news, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total value of $970,624.31. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares in the company, valued at $3,347,722.67. The trade was a 22.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total transaction of $16,362,494.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 128,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This trade represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 66,028 shares of company stock worth $17,639,883 in the last quarter. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $289.82.

Wabtec 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.