Baillie Gifford & Co. Sells 16,693 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• Baillie Gifford cut its Wabtec stake by 18.5%, selling 16,693 shares and finishing the quarter with 73,744 shares valued at about $15.74 million.
• Wabtec beat quarterly estimates (EPS $2.10 vs. $2.08; revenue $2.97B vs. $2.86B), set FY26 guidance of $10.05–$10.45 EPS, authorized a $1.2 billion share buyback, and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31.
• Analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (10 Buy, 3 Hold) with an average price target of $275.75, following several recent target changes and upgrades.

Baillie Gifford & Co. decreased its position in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 18.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 73,744 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,693 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.'s holdings in Wabtec were worth $15,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Piscataqua Savings Bank increased its position in Wabtec by 12,800.0% during the 3rd quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Motco increased its position in Wabtec by 6,600.0% during the 3rd quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in Wabtec by 370.6% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 160 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. North Capital Inc. increased its position in Wabtec by 18,900.0% during the 3rd quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 190 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Wabtec during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WAB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Wabtec from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Stephens raised their price target on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $275.75.

Wabtec Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE WAB opened at $268.96 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.11. Wabtec has a 52 week low of $165.17 and a 52 week high of $275.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.38, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $251.72 and its 200 day moving average is $225.13.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.Wabtec's revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 paid a $0.31 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Wabtec's payout ratio is 18.16%.

Wabtec announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that allows the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.62, for a total value of $302,013.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 12,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,155,904.54. This trade represents a 8.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $2,896,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 60,487 shares in the company, valued at $15,926,227.10. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 31,512 shares of company stock valued at $8,160,028 over the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by 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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