Swiss National Bank Cuts Stock Position in Wabtec $WAB

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 493,229 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 24,300 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.29% of Wabtec worth $98,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 2.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,930,893 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,172,532,000 after acquiring an additional 493,437 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Wabtec by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,288,014 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $893,830,000 after purchasing an additional 30,489 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Wabtec by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,261,456 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $471,410,000 after purchasing an additional 186,248 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Wabtec by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,974,257 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $393,252,000 after purchasing an additional 381,728 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Wabtec by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,718,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $344,405,000 after purchasing an additional 19,952 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Wabtec

In other news, EVP Gregory Sbrocco sold 952 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.43, for a total transaction of $246,025.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,159 shares in the company, valued at $5,468,120.37. This trade represents a 4.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total transaction of $2,896,300.00. Following the sale, 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. Insiders sold a total of 33,192 shares of company stock valued at $8,379,272 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Price Performance

Shares of WAB opened at $246.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.52. The firm has a market cap of $42.04 billion, a PE ratio of 36.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $151.81 and a 1-year high of $266.27.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earnings per share. Wabtec’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.31 dividend. 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 18.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WAB shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wabtec from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. KeyCorp increased their target price on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Wabtec from $215.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Wabtec from $258.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.00.

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.