GATX (NYSE:GATX) Shares Up 3.9% Following Strong Earnings

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX)’s stock price traded up 3.9% during mid-day trading 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. 14,482 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 134,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.49.

The transportation company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.25. GATX had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 17.76%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on GATX in a research report on Monday, November 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna lifted their target price on GATX from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Sidoti cut GATX from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $158.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.80.

Institutional Trading of GATX

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of GATX by 91.8% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 163 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new position in GATX in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in GATX in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in GATX by 184.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 259 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of GATX during the second quarter worth about $53,000. 93.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

GATX Stock Up 4.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.41, a current ratio of 3.41 and a quick ratio of 3.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $157.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.88. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58 and a beta of 0.99.

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.