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

Shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $201.86.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

In other news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 886 shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies 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 $37,302,339.06. This trade represents a 0.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the third quarter worth about $24,630,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $22,509,000. AGF Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,566,000. Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 108.8% in the 4th quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 2,960 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $561,000 after purchasing an additional 36,435 shares during the period. Finally, Longbow Finance SA bought a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,312,000. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock opened at $171.05 on Friday. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a twelve month low of $143.22 and a twelve month high of $210.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s 50 day moving average is $180.43 and its 200 day moving average is $190.51. The company has a market cap of $29.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.14.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB) last released 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 return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 10.17%. Research analysts anticipate that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies will post 8.54 EPS for the current year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.58%. This is an increase from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.