GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, a drop of 20.8% from the December 15th total of 1,590,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 167,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.5 days. Approximately 3.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

GATX Trading Up 0.1 %

GATX stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Thursday, hitting $154.18. The company had a trading volume of 113,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,265. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average of $157.13 and a 200-day moving average of $144.10. The company has a current ratio of 3.41, a quick ratio of 3.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.41. GATX has a one year low of $114.78 and a one year high of $167.74.

GATX (NYSE:GATX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.54. GATX had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 11.98%. The business had revenue of $405.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that GATX will post 7.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GATX Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.58 dividend. This represents a $2.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. GATX’s payout ratio is 31.02%.

Institutional Trading of GATX

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.