Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies WAB, operating as Wabtec Corporation, is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results on Oct. 21, before market open.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WAB’s third-quarter 2026 earnings has remained flat at $2.72 per share over the past 60 days. The consensus mark for earnings implies a 17.24% upside from the year-ago actual. The consensus estimate for sales (currently pegged at $3.18 billion) suggests a 10.32% uptick from the year-ago actual.
Wabtec has an encouraging earnings surprise history. The company’s earnings have outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 4.18%.
Let’s see how things have shaped up for Wabtec this earnings season.
Factors Likely to Have Influenced WAB's Q3 Performance
We expect Wabtec's performance in the to-be-reported quarter to have been adversely affected by higher operating expenses. Persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and ongoing supply-chain disruptions are likely to pressure the company's bottom line.
Conversely, WAB's top-line performance in the to-be-reported quarter is expected to have benefited from stronger demand for services and components, supported by solid sales across both the aftermarket and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) channels.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Freight revenues is pegged at $2.26 billion, implying 8.1% growth from the prior-year reported figure. The consensus mark for Transit revenues is pinned at $895 million, indicating 12.8% growth from the prior-year reported figure.
What Our Model Says About WAB
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Wabtec this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Wabtec has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Wabtec Price and EPS Surprise
Wabtec price-eps-surprise | Wabtec Quote
Highlights of Wabtec’s Q2 Earnings
Wabtec reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.76 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.63 by 4.9% and increased 21.6% year over year, owing to higher sales and operating margin expansion. Revenues climbed 17.5% to $3.18 billion and surpassed the consensus mark of $3.08 billion by 3.2%. Growth across Freight and Transit, supported by acquisitions and organic expansion, drove the top line. The 12-month backlog increased 11.3% to $9.14 billion.
Stocks to Consider
Here are a few stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors may consider, as our model shows that they have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Old Dominion Freight Line ODFL has an Earnings ESP of +0.12% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
ODFL is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 earnings on Oct. 28. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 0.63% over the past 60 days. ODFL’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, with the average beat being 6.71%.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide CHRW has an Earnings ESP of +0.46% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. CHRW is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 earnings on Oct. 28.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2026 earnings has been revised upward by 1.82% to $1.68 per share over the past 60 days. CHRW’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the preceding four quarters and met the mark on the other occasion. The average beat is 8.11%.
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Wabtec (WAB): Free Stock Analysis Report
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).