Over a week ago 06/15 Wabco seen as target for techs with autonomous truck ambitions. I found this online-- I've been wondering what has been behind WBC's advance in the face of poor car sales and this may be the reason:
With disruption seen in the automotive market amid the development of connected and autonomous vehicle technology, Piper Jaffray analyst Alexander Potter said he expects the trucking sector to follow suit, leaving Wabco Holdings (WBC) as the only truck stock that he views as worth owning. BIG TECH EYES TRUCKS: As tech companies develop self-driving technology, Tesla (TSLA) and Amazon (AMZN) are making moves that analysts believe could potentially disrupt the trucking space. In April, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, "Tesla Semi truck unveil set for September," after originally announcing the electric truck in his "Master Plan, Part Deux," released in July, writing it "will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate." Meanwhile in December, Amazon was said to be developing an app, expected to launch this summer, which will connect truckers and shippers in much the same way that Uber connects drivers and riders. "ONLY" TRUCK STOCK WORTH OWNING: Piper's Potter raised his price target for Wabco shares to $143 from $129 <--- in a note to investors this morning, saying the company's upcoming analyst day should illuminate the point that it will benefit, not be disrupted by, secular trends in the industry. -->A tech company with autonomous truck ambitions could buy Wabco and then use its "dominant position" in braking/stability control to drive standardization around a suite of self-driving algorithms, the analyst argues. Hummmmmmm TSLA buys Wabco or Apple??????
However, technology companies might not consider purchasing Wabco as they have often preferred to partner with automotive suppliers in order to focus on developing software or operating systems, Potter said, Boooooooo! but added investors underestimate the role of electronics and software/controls in Wabco products. PRICE ACTION: Wabco rose 0.1% to $121.68 in early afternoon trading.
I'm thinking maybe we should pay attention to that analyst day.....