Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 179,892 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,241 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in GATX were worth $27,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of GATX by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 66,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,305,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of GATX during the 4th quarter worth $816,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of GATX by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,709 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,195,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of GATX by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,322 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,754,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of GATX during the 4th quarter worth $5,391,000. 93.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sidoti downgraded GATX from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $158.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on GATX in a research note on Monday, November 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company.

GATX Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE GATX opened at $155.13 on Tuesday. GATX Co. has a 52 week low of $122.00 and a 52 week high of $168.89. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.15. The company has a quick ratio of 3.41, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The company has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96 and a beta of 1.00.

GATX (NYSE:GATX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.25. GATX had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 17.92%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that GATX Co. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

GATX Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. This is a boost from GATX’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. GATX’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at GATX

In related news, SVP Jeffery R. Young sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.63, for a total transaction of $48,895.11. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,362 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,212,006.06. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Robert Zmudka sold 4,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.83, for a total value of $786,384.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,227,578.19. This represents a 39.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

GATX Profile

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.