North Dakota State Investment Board Invests $1.24 Million in Wabtec $WAB

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 5,813 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,241,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. BOKF NA boosted its position in shares of Wabtec by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Wabtec by 83.2% in the 4th quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wabtec by 258.3% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in shares of Wabtec by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $290.00 price objective (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $303.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $289.82.

Insider Activity at Wabtec

In other news, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total transaction of $970,624.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,347,722.67. This represents a 22.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total transaction of $16,362,494.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 91,729 shares of company stock worth $24,387,500. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Wabtec Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE WAB opened at $255.31 on Wednesday. Wabtec has a 12 month low of $184.26 and a 12 month high of $275.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $256.23 and a 200-day moving average of $236.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $43.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.97.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.09. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The company had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Wabtec will post 10.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Wabtec announced that its board has initiated a share 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 buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wabtec Company 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.