Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $175.30.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WAB shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $183.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. KeyCorp increased their price target on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Stephens raised their price objective on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $181.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Stock Performance

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock traded up $0.66 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $196.12. The company had a trading volume of 612,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,071,221. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies has a 52 week low of $114.45 and a 52 week high of $202.84. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $185.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $170.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.13. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies had a return on equity of 12.52% and a net margin of 10.25%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.70 EPS. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies will post 7.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO John A. Mastalerz, Jr. sold 2,796 shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.71, for a total transaction of $558,389.16. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,683 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,134,951.93. This trade represents a 32.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP David L. Deninno sold 875 shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.70, for a total transaction of $165,112.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 55,352 shares in the company, valued at $10,444,922.40. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 53,562 shares of company stock valued at $10,040,379. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the third quarter valued at $61,474,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the third quarter valued at $7,128,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 5.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 278,729 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $50,665,000 after buying an additional 13,683 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 59,168.4% during the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 11,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,641,000 after buying an additional 11,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 4.5% during the third quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 201,011 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,431,000 after buying an additional 8,575 shares during the last quarter. 91.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.