Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) CEO Sells $304,298.95 in Stock

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.65, for a total value of $304,298.95. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 125,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,769,046. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Rafael Santana also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 8th, Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.06, for a total value of $303,612.78.
• On Monday, May 4th, Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.77, for a total value of $306,764.51.
• On Tuesday, April 14th, Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of Wabtec stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total value of $16,362,494.28.

Wabtec Price Performance

WAB stock traded up $5.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $264.80. 619,280 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 913,262. The company has a market cap of $44.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $261.34 and its 200 day moving average is $241.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Wabtec has a 12-month low of $184.26 and a 12-month high of $275.84.

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

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.54%.

Wabtec declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wabtec

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Wabtec during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in 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 lifted its position in 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. McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new position in Wabtec during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Wabtec during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WAB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Stephens raised their target price on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $303.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $290.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $289.82.

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.