MetLife Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX)

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX - Free Report) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,906 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,849 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned about 0.12% of GATX worth $6,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of GATX by 225.0% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,300 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in GATX during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in GATX by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 83,645 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $12,961,000 after purchasing an additional 16,194 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of GATX by 826.8% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,140 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of GATX in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,391,000. Institutional investors own 93.14% of the company's stock.

GATX Stock Performance

NYSE:GATX opened at $148.14 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $154.85 and its 200 day moving average is $153.99. GATX Co. has a fifty-two week low of $122.00 and a fifty-two week high of $168.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 3.41 and a current ratio of 2.77.

GATX (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. 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 net margin of 17.92% and a return on equity of 12.07%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that GATX Co. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

GATX Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from GATX's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. GATX's payout ratio is 31.40%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jeffery R. Young sold 297 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.63, for a total value of $48,895.11. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,212,006.06. This trade represents a 3.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Robert Zmudka sold 4,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.83, for a total transaction of $786,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,493 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,227,578.19. This trade represents a 39.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.17% of the company's stock.

GATX Company 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.

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