Distillate Capital Partners LLC Takes $15.69 Million Position in Wabtec $WAB

Distillate Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 78,262 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,689,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Colonial Trust Advisors raised its position in Wabtec by 454.5% during the second quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 122 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Piscataqua Savings Bank grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 12,800.0% in the third 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 increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Wabtec by 370.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 160 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Wabtec by 18,900.0% during the 3rd quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 190 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Susquehanna set a $300.00 target price on Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research raised Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In related news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.62, for a total transaction of $302,013.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 12,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,155,904.54. The trade was a 8.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total value of $970,624.31. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,347,722.67. This trade represents a 22.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,310 shares of company stock valued at $8,541,509. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Shares of Wabtec stock opened at $236.60 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $242.37 and a 200 day moving average of $216.49. Wabtec has a 12 month low of $151.81 and a 12 month high of $266.27.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. This is a positive change from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec’s payout ratio is presently 18.16%.

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

About Wabtec

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.