5,813 Shares in Wabtec $WAB Purchased by North Dakota State Investment Board

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board opened a new position in Wabtec, buying 5,813 shares valued at about $1.24 million in the fourth quarter. Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 91.69% of the stock.
• Wabtec posted better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, reporting $2.71 EPS versus estimates of $2.62, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $2.95 billion. The company also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of 10.25 to 10.65.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share and authorized a $1.2 billion stock buyback program. Analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $289.82.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,813 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,241,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BOKF NA increased its position in Wabtec by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wabtec during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Wabtec by 83.2% during the fourth quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its position in shares of Wabtec by 258.3% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of Wabtec by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $303.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $289.82.

Wabtec Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE WAB opened at $255.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $256.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.02. Wabtec has a one year low of $184.26 and a one year high of $275.84. The firm has a market cap of $43.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.11, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Wabtec Announces Dividend

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

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Nalin Jain sold 7,936 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.09, for a total value of $2,095,818.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 6,364 shares in the company, valued at $1,680,668.76. The trade was a 55.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of Wabtec stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total transaction of $16,362,494.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 128,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 91,729 shares of company stock valued at $24,387,500 over the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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