Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) had its price target raised by stock analysts at Citigroup from $283.00 to $292.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential upside of 6.12% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on WAB. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Wabtec from $240.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stephens boosted their target price on Wabtec from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 target price (down from $300.00) on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $262.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Wabtec from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.83.

Wabtec Price Performance

WAB traded up $5.50 during trading on Thursday, reaching $275.16. 387,875 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 859,612. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $249.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $223.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $46.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.99. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $163.85 and a 1 year high of $274.71.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.86 billion. Wabtec had a return on equity of 14.12% and a net margin of 10.48%.Wabtec’s quarterly revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.68 earnings per share. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Wabtec will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wabtec announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 1,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total value of $282,725.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 190,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,369,866.40. This represents a 0.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total value of $2,896,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 60,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,926,227.10. The trade was a 15.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,512 shares of company stock valued at $8,160,028. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wabtec

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAB. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Wabtec by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 47,924 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,607,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wabtec in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,801,000. 111 Capital bought a new stake in Wabtec during the 3rd quarter valued at $949,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in Wabtec during the 3rd quarter valued at $842,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Wabtec by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,069,340 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $659,939,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095,083 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.