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

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, a decrease 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 shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

GATX Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GATX traded up $0.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $154.18. 113,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,265. The company has a quick ratio of 3.41, a current ratio of 3.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.41. GATX has a 52 week low of $114.78 and a 52 week high of $167.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50 day moving average is $157.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.10.

GATX (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $405.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.65 million. GATX had a net margin of 17.76% and a return on equity of 11.98%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that GATX will post 7.6 earnings per share for the current year.

GATX Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. GATX's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GATX

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GATX. UMB Bank n.a. grew 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 acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC acquired a new stake in shares of GATX in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of GATX by 184.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 259 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in GATX during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in GATX in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 93.14% of the company's stock.

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.

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