KBC Group NV Lowers Position in Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• KBC Group NV reduced its Wabtec stake by 23.7% in the first quarter, selling 116,004 shares and ending with 373,720 shares valued at about $93.4 million.
• Insider selling continued, with both Sameer Gaur and CEO Rafael Santana selling shares in recent transactions; insiders have sold 5,734 shares over the last three months.
• Wabtec reported solid quarterly results and returned cash to shareholders, posting EPS of $2.71 that beat estimates, raising revenue 13% year over year, and announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share.

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 23.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 373,720 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 116,004 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.22% of Wabtec worth $93,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Wabtec by 20.3% in the 4th 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 last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,658,040 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,634,609,000 after purchasing an additional 197,610 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,366,157 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $928,249,000 after purchasing an additional 38,029 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 3.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,304,183 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $662,390,000 after purchasing an additional 116,329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,069,340 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $659,939,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,083 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, insider Sameer Gaur sold 1,082 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.50, for a total value of $285,107.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,158,047.50. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.07, for a total value of $304,787.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,212,071.98. This trade represents a 0.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 5,734 shares of company stock worth $1,504,571 over the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wabtec Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE WAB opened at $261.85 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Wabtec has a 52 week low of $184.26 and a 52 week high of $284.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.04, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day moving average of $264.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $253.08.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.62 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Wabtec had a net margin of 10.52% and a return on equity of 14.52%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Wabtec will post 10.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 18th will be given 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 is Tuesday, August 18th. Wabtec's dividend payout ratio is 17.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $290.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Stephens raised Wabtec to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $303.00 target price on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $293.36.

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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