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Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 11 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter sales rose 14.8%: Quarterly sales of $2,965 million rose 14.8%, with higher Freight sales including acquisitions and higher Transit sales as the drivers. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 25% in quarter: Fourth-quarter adjusted diluted EPS was $2.10, up 25.0%. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.18, down 4.1% from $1.23. Source
  • Freight sales rose 18.3%: Freight sales of $2,123 million rose 18.3%. Adjusted Freight operating margin was 22.1%, compared with 19.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Equipment and Digital led Freight: Equipment sales rose 33.5% on higher locomotive deliveries. Digital sales rose 74.4% on the acquired businesses. Source
  • Gross margin rose as expenses grew: GAAP gross margin was 32.6% versus 30.9%, and adjusted gross margin was 33.7% versus 31.6%. Operating expenses rose to 20.6% of sales from 17.9%. Source
  • Multi-year backlog reached a record: Multi-year backlog rose 23% from a year earlier to a record level. The 12-month backlog rose 7.2% over the same period. Source

“As we exit 2025, I am very encouraged by the underlying momentum of our business and our recent acquisitions, both of which we expect to drive significant value going forward.”

Rafael Santana, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFull year 2026$10.05 to $10.45New
Sales SourceFull year 2026$12.19 billion to $12.49 billionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: 2026 guidance was given for the first time in this release, covering sales and adjusted diluted EPS. Source
  • New: Dellner Couplers acquisition closed on February 10, 2026. Source
  • New: Quarterly dividend increased 24% to 31 cents per share. Source
  • New: Share repurchase authorization increased to $1.2 billion. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Fourth-quarter sales rose 14.8%: Quarterly sales of $2,965 million rose 14.8%, with higher Freight sales including acquisitions and higher Transit sales as the drivers. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 25% in quarter: Fourth-quarter adjusted diluted EPS was $2.10, up 25.0%. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.18, down 4.1% from $1.23. Source
  • Full-year sales and EPS grew: Full-year 2025 sales were $11.17 billion, up 7.5%. Full-year GAAP diluted EPS was $6.83, up 13.1%. Source

Segments and regions

  • Freight sales rose 18.3%: Freight sales of $2,123 million rose 18.3%. Adjusted Freight operating margin was 22.1%, compared with 19.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Transit sales rose 6.7%: Transit sales of $842 million rose 6.7%. Adjusted Transit operating margin was 14.0%, compared with 16.4% a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year segment sales and margins: Full-year Freight sales rose 7.6% to $8,036 million, with operating margin of 19.5%. Full-year Transit sales rose 7.3% to $3,131 million, with operating margin of 13.5% versus 11.6%. Source

“Looking ahead, our record $27 billion multi-year backlog provides strong visibility and positions Wabtec for sustained growth.”

Rafael Santana, President and CEO

Products and customers

  • Equipment and Digital led Freight: Equipment sales rose 33.5% on higher locomotive deliveries. Digital sales rose 74.4% on the acquired businesses. Source
  • Freight services sales declined: Services sales fell 5.0%, which management described as expected. Components sales rose 11.1%. Source
  • Transit OE and aftermarket sales: Transit original equipment sales were $351 million versus $339 million. Aftermarket sales were $491 million versus $450 million. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin rose as expenses grew: GAAP gross margin was 32.6% versus 30.9%, and adjusted gross margin was 33.7% versus 31.6%. Operating expenses rose to 20.6% of sales from 17.9%. Source
  • GAAP margin fell; adjusted margin rose: GAAP operating margin was 12.0%, down from 12.9%. Adjusted operating margin was 17.7%, up from 16.9%. Source
  • Freight one-time charges weighed on GAAP: Freight GAAP operating margin also carried one-time Portfolio Optimization costs and a purchase accounting charge tied to Inspection Technologies. Source

“The Wabtec team delivered a strong fourth quarter and full year results, reflecting the strength of our business and our ability to execute in dynamic markets,”

Rafael Santana, President and CEO

Demand and the order book

  • Multi-year backlog reached a record: Multi-year backlog rose 23% from a year earlier to a record level. The 12-month backlog rose 7.2% over the same period. Source
  • Backlog growth excluding currency: Excluding currency effects, the 12-month backlog rose 4.7% and the multi-year backlog rose 20.5%. Source
  • Multi-year backlog up $5,135 million: Management said the multi-year backlog at December 31, 2025 was $5,135 million higher than a year earlier. Source
  • Freight and Transit backlog split: Freight multi-year backlog was $22,493 million and Transit multi-year backlog was $4,914 million at year end. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Fourth-quarter operating cash rose: Fourth-quarter cash from operations was $992 million versus $723 million. Management said improved working capital benefited the increase. Source
  • Full-year cash conversion at 104%: Full-year cash conversion was 104%, as the company reported. Source
  • Year-end cash, debt and liquidity: Cash was $0.79 billion and total debt was $5.54 billion. Total available liquidity was $3.21 billion at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Share repurchases in 2025: The company repurchased $75 million of shares in the fourth quarter and $223 million for the full year. Source

Strategy and acquisitions

  • Restructuring and transaction costs weighed: Restructuring costs for Integration 2.0 and 3.0 and transaction costs for recent acquisitions were recorded in GAAP operating margin. Source
  • Fourth-quarter sales bridge by source: Acquisitions added $171 million to fourth-quarter sales, organic growth added $190 million, and foreign exchange added $42 million. Divestitures and exits reduced sales by $21 million. Source
  • Full-year sales bridge by source: Full-year acquisitions added $355 million of sales, organic growth added $464 million, and divestitures and exits reduced sales by $72 million. Source

Coming up, as management said on 11 February 2026

  • Dividend payable March 2, 2026: The quarterly dividend is payable on March 2, 2026, to holders of record on February 17, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total backlog Source$27,407 million
12-month backlog Source$8,234 million

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management attributed part of the Transit margin pressure to manufacturing inefficiencies. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.