Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $201.86.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WAB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $175.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th.

Insider Transactions at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 886 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.07, for a total transaction of $163,972.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 201,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,302,339.06. This trade represents a 0.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WAB. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the third quarter valued at $386,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $110,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $24,630,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,459 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,879,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 88.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 31,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,031,000 after acquiring an additional 14,959 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Trading Up 2.9 %

NYSE:WAB opened at $171.85 on Friday. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a 1 year low of $146.31 and a 1 year high of $210.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $178.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.14.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.06). Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 12.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. This is a positive change from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.58%.

About Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

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.