Wabtec $WAB Shares Purchased by MUFG Securities EMEA plc

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its Wabtec stake by 1,520.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 53,016 shares valued at about $11.3 million.
• Several other institutional investors also raised or initiated positions, and 91.69% of Wabtec shares are held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Wabtec reported better-than-expected EPS of $2.71 in its latest quarter, though revenue came in below estimates; the company also authorized a $1.2 billion share buyback and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its position in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Free Report) by 1,520.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,016 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,744 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Wabtec were worth $11,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BOKF NA raised its stake in Wabtec by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 175 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Wabtec during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Westfuller Advisors LLC raised its stake in Wabtec by 83.2% during the 4th quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its stake in Wabtec by 258.3% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 215 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in Wabtec by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.89, for a total transaction of $16,362,494.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,613,940.81. This represents a 32.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,013 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,347,722.67. The trade was a 22.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 67,191 shares of company stock valued at $17,922,608. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WAB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $318.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Wabtec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $303.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Wabtec from $283.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $289.82.

Wabtec Stock Performance

Shares of WAB stock opened at $261.27 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $44.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $259.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.52. Wabtec has a 12-month low of $184.26 and a 12-month high of $275.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business had revenue of $2.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.08 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.52% and a net margin of 10.52%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.250-10.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 10.61 EPS for the current year.

Wabtec declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to purchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid 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 of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Wabtec's dividend payout ratio is 17.54%.

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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