UBS Group AG Cuts Stock Position in Wabtec $WAB

Key Points

• UBS Group AG trimmed its Wabtec stake by 0.7% in Q4, selling 7,074 shares to hold 1,026,230 shares (about 0.60% of the company) worth roughly $219.05 million, and institutional investors now own 91.69% of the stock.
• Wabtec beat Q1 EPS estimates at $2.71 (vs. $2.62 consensus) but missed revenue expectations ($2.95B vs. $3.08B), and set FY2026 guidance of 10.25–10.65 EPS (analysts project 10.61).
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 (annualized $1.24, 0.5% yield) and authorized a $1.2 billion share buyback (≈2.9% of shares), while insiders—including CEO Rafael Santana—sold meaningful positions (CEO sold 60,852 shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan).

UBS Group AG lessened its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,026,230 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 7,074 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 0.60% of Wabtec worth $219,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Piscataqua Savings Bank grew its holdings in 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 holdings in Wabtec by 6,600.0% during the third quarter. Motco now owns 134 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Wabtec during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Wabtec during the third quarter worth $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company's stock.

Wabtec Stock Down 1.4%

Wabtec stock opened at $263.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.99. Wabtec has a fifty-two week low of $180.06 and a fifty-two week high of $275.84. The stock's fifty day moving average is $254.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.21.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $2.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.08 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.52% and a net margin of 10.52%.Wabtec's revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Wabtec will post 10.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. 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. Wabtec's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.54%.

Wabtec announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Wabtec from $270.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $303.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Wabtec from $283.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $289.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wabtec news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total value of $16,362,494.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 128,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This represents a 32.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 shares were sold at an average price of $241.87, for a total value of $970,624.31. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,841 shares in the company, valued at $3,347,722.67. This trade represents a 22.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 92,364 shares of company stock valued at $24,522,522 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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