Fifth Third Bancorp Buys 34,744 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp increased its Wabtec stake by 497.1% in the first quarter, buying 34,744 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 41,734 shares valued at about $10.43 million.
• Wabtec’s stock has broad institutional support, with 91.69% of shares owned by institutions and several large investors also boosting their positions significantly.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Wabtec, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $293.36, while the company recently beat earnings estimates and raised its FY 2026 guidance.

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 497.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,734 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,744 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Wabtec were worth $10,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the fourth quarter worth $409,039,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Wabtec by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,965,503 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,700,238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,344,744 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 55.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,069,340 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $659,939,000 after buying an additional 1,095,083 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Wabtec by 360.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 885,197 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $188,945,000 after acquiring an additional 692,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Wabtec by 194.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,033,304 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $207,146,000 after purchasing an additional 682,048 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Wabtec

In other news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,082 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.50, for a total transaction of $285,107.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,158,047.50. This represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.06, for a total value of $303,612.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 124,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,391,541.62. This represents a 0.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 5,734 shares of company stock valued at $1,504,571 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WAB. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $318.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a report on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Wabtec from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $293.36.

Wabtec Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WAB opened at $262.32 on Wednesday. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $184.26 and a 1-year high of $284.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business's 50 day moving average is $264.63 and its 200-day moving average is $252.17. The firm has a market cap of $44.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Wabtec Announces Dividend

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

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.

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