KBC Group NV Acquires 120,164 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 32.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 489,724 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 120,164 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $104,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WAB. Piscataqua Savings Bank increased its holdings in 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 lifted its holdings in Wabtec by 6,600.0% during the 3rd quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 370.6% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 160 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. North Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 18,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 190 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $2,896,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 60,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,926,227.10. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $970,624.31. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,347,722.67. This trade represents a 22.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 31,512 shares of company stock worth $8,160,028 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Susquehanna set a $300.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $283.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $275.75.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Shares of WAB opened at $257.21 on Thursday. 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 50-day moving average of $252.69 and a 200-day moving average of $225.86. The company has a market cap of $43.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99. Wabtec has a one year low of $165.17 and a one year high of $275.84.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s payout ratio is currently 18.16%.

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.