B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Reduces Stock Holdings in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. (NYSE:WAB) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,593 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,622 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies were worth $7,157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $24,630,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at $22,509,000. AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $10,566,000. Twin Tree Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies by 108.8% during 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $4,312,000. 91.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies

In related news, CEO Rafael Santana sold 886 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.34, for a total transaction of $161,553.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 176,295 shares in the company, valued at $32,145,630.30. This represents a 0.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WAB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.33.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE WAB opened at $181.61 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $191.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.49. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. has a 12 month low of $143.22 and a 12 month high of $210.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.31.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (NYSE:WAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Co. will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is an increase from Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.