Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $210.88 and last traded at $210.60, with a volume of 496148 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $209.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WAB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Wabtec from $175.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Wabtec from $217.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Wall Street Zen cut Wabtec from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Wabtec from $218.00 to $210.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up previously from $220.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wabtec currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $216.00.

Wabtec Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $36.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.12.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 10.53%. Wabtec's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 27th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Wabtec's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wabtec

In other Wabtec news, EVP Gina Trombley sold 4,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.00, for a total transaction of $868,398.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,696 shares in the company, valued at $2,766,592. The trade was a 23.89% 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 link. Also, VP David L. Deninno sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.05, for a total value of $603,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 60,450 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,153,472.50. This represents a 4.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,588 shares of company stock worth $19,832,997 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WAB. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $52,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Wabtec by 9.8% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 630 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC bought a new position in Wabtec in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $204,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Wabtec in the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd grew its position in shares of Wabtec by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd now owns 1,800 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company's stock.

About Wabtec

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology-based locomotives, equipment, systems, and services for the freight rail and passenger transit industries worldwide. It offers diesel-electric, battery, and liquid natural gas-powered locomotives; engines, electric motors, and propulsion systems; and marine and mining products.