GATX (NYSE:GATX) Trading 3.9% Higher Following Strong Earnings

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX)’s stock price rose 3.9% on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $163.29 and last traded at $160.50. Approximately 14,482 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 134,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.49.

The transportation company reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.25. GATX had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 11.98%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS.

GATX Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.58 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. GATX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on GATX in a report on Monday, November 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Sidoti downgraded shares of GATX from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $158.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of GATX from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GATX presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.80.

Institutional Trading of GATX

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of GATX by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 10,692 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in GATX by 91.8% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 163 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of GATX by 20.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 487 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its holdings in shares of GATX by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 3,907 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of GATX by 5.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,846 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.14% of the company’s stock.

GATX Trading Up 3.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.41, a quick ratio of 3.41 and a current ratio of 3.41. The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $157.28 and its 200-day moving average is $144.88.

About GATX

GATX Corporation, together its subsidiaries, operates as railcar leasing company in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and India. It operates through three segments: Rail North America, Rail International, and Portfolio Management. The company leases tank and freight railcars, and locomotives for petroleum, chemical, food/agriculture, and transportation industries.