Rafael Santana Sells 60,852 Shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Stock

Key Points

• CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 Wabtec shares on April 14 at an average price of $268.89 for about $16.36 million, reducing his direct ownership by 32.10% to 128,729 shares; the sale was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Wabtec's board approved a $1.2 billion share buyback (up to ~2.9% of outstanding shares) and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share (annualized $1.24, ~0.5% yield), signaling capital returns to shareholders.
• Wabtec beat quarterly expectations with $2.10 EPS and revenue up 14.8% year-over-year, set FY2026 guidance at 10.050–10.450 EPS, and enjoys a consensus analyst view of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $275.75.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 128,729 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,940.81. This trade represents a 32.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Rafael Santana also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 9th, Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of Wabtec stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total value of $282,725.30.
• On Tuesday, February 10th, Rafael Santana sold 1,798 shares of Wabtec stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.71, for a total value of $441,786.58.

Wabtec Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of WAB stock traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $256.06. 528,323 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 897,943. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $252.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $225.86. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $165.17 and a 1-year high of $275.84. The company has a market cap of $43.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.86 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that permits the company to buyback $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Wabtec in the fourth quarter worth $409,039,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Wabtec by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,965,503 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,700,238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344,744 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in 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. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Wabtec by 68.6% in the third quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,205,098 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $442,056,000 after purchasing an additional 896,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Wabtec by 360.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 885,197 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $188,945,000 after purchasing an additional 692,773 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WAB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Wabtec from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $262.00 to $285.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Wabtec from $283.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Wabtec in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Wabtec in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $275.75.

Wabtec Company 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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