Boston Common Asset Management LLC Sells 4,342 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,451 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 4,342 shares during the quarter. Wabtec makes up 0.9% of Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $18,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 47,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,607,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Wabtec in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $9,371,000. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Wabtec in the third quarter worth $5,801,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Wabtec in the third quarter valued at about $842,000. Finally, 111 Capital acquired a new position in Wabtec in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $949,000. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Susquehanna set a $300.00 price objective on Wabtec in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wolfe Research upgraded Wabtec from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $270.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total transaction of $441,786.58. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 118,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,177,816.79. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total value of $970,624.31. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,347,722.67. The trade was a 22.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,512 shares of company stock valued at $8,160,028. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Trading Down 1.5%

WAB opened at $237.44 on Tuesday. Wabtec has a 52 week low of $151.81 and a 52 week high of $266.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.25. The firm has a market cap of $40.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.99.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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 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 given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio is 18.16%.

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