Savant Capital LLC Sells 17,851 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Wabtec stake by 72.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 17,851 shares and leaving it with 6,911 shares worth about $1.48 million.
• Insiders have been selling Wabtec stock as well, including CEO Rafael Santana and EVP Gina Trombley; company insiders sold 67,191 shares worth about $17.9 million over the past 90 days.
• Wabtec beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $2.71 EPS versus $2.62 expected, while revenue rose 13% year over year. Analysts remain mostly bullish, with an average Moderate Buy rating and a target price near $289.82.

Savant Capital LLC lessened its stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 72.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,911 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 17,851 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Wabtec were worth $1,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 83.2% in the 4th quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 258.3% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total value of $16,362,494.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. The trade was a 32.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total transaction of $970,624.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,347,722.67. This trade represents a 22.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 67,191 shares of company stock valued at $17,922,608 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $290.00 price target (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $318.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $289.82.

Wabtec Stock Down 1.9%

WAB opened at $256.23 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $259.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.54. Wabtec has a one year low of $184.26 and a one year high of $275.84.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.95 billion during 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 for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Wabtec will post 10.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

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

About Wabtec

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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