Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

WAB has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating 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 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $269.00.

Wabtec Trading Down 1.6%

Wabtec stock opened at $236.60 on Friday. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $151.81 and a 1 year high of $266.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $242.37 and its 200-day moving average is $216.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $40.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Wabtec declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wabtec news, insider Rogerio Mendonca sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.21, for a total transaction of $924,735.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,101 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,668,785.21. The trade was a 25.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $2,896,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 60,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,926,227.10. The trade was a 15.39% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 33,310 shares of company stock worth $8,541,509. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wabtec

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Wabtec in the second quarter worth about $2,542,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Wabtec by 19.7% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,702 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the 2nd quarter worth about $468,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its position in shares of Wabtec by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 25,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,384,000 after buying an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 41,970 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,786,000 after acquiring an additional 2,899 shares during the period. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.