GATX (NYSE:GATX) Stock Price Up 3.9% After Strong Earnings

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) was up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $163.29 and last traded at $160.50. Approximately 14,482 shares changed hands during mid-day 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 return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 17.76%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GATX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their target price on GATX from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Sidoti cut GATX from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $158.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on GATX in a research note on Monday, November 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of GATX by 19.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 92,861 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $12,299,000 after purchasing an additional 15,092 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in GATX by 2.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 167,651 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $22,206,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in GATX by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,294,895 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $171,509,000 after acquiring an additional 7,585 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in GATX by 3.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 474,729 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $62,878,000 after purchasing an additional 17,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in GATX by 1.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 849,603 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $112,550,000 after purchasing an additional 12,571 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.14% of the company's stock.

GATX Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.41, a current ratio of 3.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.41. The company has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $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.