Insider Selling: Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) CEO Sells $16,362,494.28 in Stock

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total value of $16,362,494.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This trade represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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, March 9th, Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total value of $282,725.30.
• On Tuesday, February 10th, Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of Wabtec stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total value of $441,786.58.

Wabtec Trading Up 3.2%

NYSE WAB opened at $263.71 on Friday. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $165.17 and a 1-year high of $275.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $253.34 and a 200-day moving average of $226.70. The firm has a market cap of $44.87 billion, a PE ratio of 38.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.99.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last released its earnings results 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. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 EPS. Wabtec’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Wabtec by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 865 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $173,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,037,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 2,051 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,082 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $818,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Susquehanna set a $300.00 price target on Wabtec in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Stephens boosted their price target on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $275.75.

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.