VCI Wealth Management LLC Takes $1.35 Million Position in Wabtec $WAB

VCI Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,752 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,354,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Wabtec by 90.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 29,478 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,910,000 after acquiring an additional 14,018 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Wabtec by 14.3% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,556 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC increased its holdings in Wabtec by 76.8% in the third quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in Wabtec during the 3rd quarter worth $1,287,000. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in Wabtec by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 13,545 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,714,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WAB. Citigroup upped their price target on Wabtec from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Wabtec from $221.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Wabtec in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Wabtec from $228.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Wabtec from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wabtec currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.11.

Wabtec Price Performance

WAB stock opened at $219.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company’s 50-day moving average is $206.95 and its 200-day moving average is $201.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.99. Wabtec has a 1 year low of $151.81 and a 1 year high of $222.47.

Wabtec (NYSE:WAB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.04. Wabtec had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 10.94%.The business had revenue of $2.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Wabtec has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Wabtec will post 8.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wabtec Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Wabtec’s payout ratio is 14.53%.

Insider Activity

In other Wabtec news, VP David L. Deninno sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.62, for a total value of $1,073,100.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 50,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,827,579. This trade represents a 9.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory Sbrocco sold 2,953 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.43, for a total transaction of $577,104.79. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,829 shares in the company, valued at $3,484,321.47. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,714 shares of company stock valued at $7,441,102. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.