Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 2,311 Shares of Wabtec $WAB

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) by 33.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,254 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,311 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Wabtec were worth $1,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Wabtec by 3.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,304,183 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $662,390,000 after buying an additional 116,329 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of 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 period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Wabtec by 1.9% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,304,832 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $462,057,000 after purchasing an additional 43,376 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Wabtec by 68.6% during the third quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,205,098 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $442,056,000 after buying an additional 896,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Wabtec by 1.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,718,241 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $344,405,000 after buying an additional 19,952 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wabtec Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE WAB opened at $257.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Wabtec has a 1-year low of $168.82 and a 1-year high of $275.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $253.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $227.77.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The transportation company reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The business 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 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 EPS. Wabtec has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.050-10.450 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Wabtec will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.20 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wabtec Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Wabtec’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Wabtec’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 60,852 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 128,729 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,940.81. The trade was a 32.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO John A. Olin sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.30, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 92,364 shares of company stock worth $24,522,522 over the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna set a $300.00 target price on Wabtec in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stephens lifted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Wabtec from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Wabtec from $224.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised Wabtec from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $262.00 to $285.00 in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wabtec has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $275.75.

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.