Wabtec beats first-quarter profit estimates on strong aftermarket sales, services

April 23 (Reuters) - Locomotive parts maker Wabtec WAB.N reported first-quarter profit on Wednesday that beat Wall Street estimates, helped by strong sales for aftermarket parts and services.

Shares of the company rose 8.8% in morning trading.

First-quarter sales for its freight segment were up 4.2%, primarily driven by a 16.9% growth in services. The unit sells components for service locomotives and freight cars, and provides maintenance, rebuilding and upgrade services for them.

The company also reported a growth of 5.3% in its transit segment, which caters to passenger vehicles such as subway cars and buses. This was mainly driven by sales of original equipment and aftermarket products.

The industrial company reported total sales of $2.61 billion, up 4.5% and in-line with analysts' estimates, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Adjusted operating margin for the first quarter came in at 21.7%, up 190 basis points.

On an adjusted basis, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company earned $2.28 per share in the first quarter, compared with Wall Street estimates of $2.03.

The company also raised the upper end of its 2025 adjusted profit guidance to $8.95 per share from $8.75 earlier, while maintaining the lower end at $8.35 per share.

It maintained previously issued its full-year revenue forecast range of $10.725 billion to $11.025 billion.