National Pension Service Boosts Stock Position in Wabtec $WAB

National Pension Service increased its position in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 273,053 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,003 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $57,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wabtec by 8.7% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 439,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $91,935,000 after purchasing an additional 35,088 shares in the last quarter. Keeler Thomas Management LLC bought a new position in Wabtec in the 2nd quarter worth $1,421,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Wabtec by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,592,529 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $333,062,000 after buying an additional 398,782 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its holdings in Wabtec by 6.1% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 48,066 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,996,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765 shares during the period. Finally, Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Wabtec in the second quarter valued at about $389,000. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Wabtec stock opened at $204.01 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $197.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $34.88 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.09. Wabtec has a twelve month low of $151.81 and a twelve month high of $216.10.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.28 by $0.04. Wabtec had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 10.94%.The company had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on WAB shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday. They set a “positive” rating and a $221.00 price objective for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wabtec news, EVP Gregory Sbrocco sold 2,424 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.77, for a total transaction of $493,938.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,405 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,139,076.85. The trade was a 13.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Pascal Schweitzer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.07, for a total transaction of $624,210.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,030,986.85. This represents a 37.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 18,556 shares of company stock valued at $3,685,311 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Profile

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries worldwide. It offers diesel-electric, battery, and liquid natural gas-powered locomotives; engines, electric motors, and propulsion systems; and marine and mining products.