Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $163.90.

WAB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $160.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 4th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Trading Up 0.5 %

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock opened at $164.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $29.07 billion, a PE ratio of 32.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $161.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.20. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a one year low of $98.70 and a one year high of $170.83.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The transportation company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 12.05%. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies will post 7.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 14th. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.63%.

Insider Activity at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

In other news, Director Brian Hehir sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.62, for a total transaction of $161,620.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,754,432.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies news, CTO Eric Gebhardt sold 7,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.32, for a total value of $1,160,207.04. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 22,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,503,287.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Brian Hehir sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.62, for a total value of $161,620.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,754,432.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,392 shares of company stock worth $2,754,390. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 107.8% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 170,248 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $24,802,000 after purchasing an additional 88,325 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 64.5% during the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 53,300 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,765,000 after acquiring an additional 20,900 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 159,384 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $20,226,000 after acquiring an additional 14,285 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 59,168.4% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 11,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 11,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 2.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 335,483 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,023,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Company Profile

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.