KBC Group NV Buys 120,164 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its stake in Wabtec by 32.5% in Q4, buying 120,164 shares to own 489,724 shares (0.29% of the company) valued at about $104.53 million.
• Wabtec beat Q4 estimates with $2.10 EPS (vs. $2.08) and $2.97B revenue (+14.8% YoY), set FY2026 guidance of $10.05–$10.45 EPS, and its board authorized a $1.20 billion share buyback while raising the quarterly dividend to $0.31.
• Insiders have sold 31,512 shares (~$8.16M) over the past three months even as institutional investors own 91.69% of the stock and analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $275.75.

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 32.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 489,724 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 120,164 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.29% of Wabtec worth $104,532,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Piscataqua Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 12,800.0% during the third quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 129 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Motco grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 6,600.0% in the third quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Wabtec by 370.6% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 160 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. North Capital Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Wabtec during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.69% of the company's stock.

Wabtec Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of Wabtec stock opened at $257.21 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $252.69 and its 200 day moving average is $225.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $165.17 and a 1 year high of $275.84. 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 (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 14.12%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Wabtec's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wabtec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, insider Nalin Jain sold 7,936 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 directly owned 6,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,680,668.76. This trade represents a 55.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of Wabtec 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 60,487 shares in the company, valued at $15,926,227.10. The trade was a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 31,512 shares of company stock worth $8,160,028 over the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WAB. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wabtec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $275.75.

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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