Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Greenbrier Companies was downgraded to a "strong sell" by Zacks Research, and the stock carries a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Reduce" with a $49.00 consensus price target.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.47 EPS vs. $0.82 expected and revenue of $587.5M (down 22.9% year-over-year vs. a $667.02M consensus).
• COO William J. Krueger sold 6,000 shares (about $300,000), insiders own 1.71% of the stock while institutional investors hold roughly 95.59%.

Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Greenbrier Companies from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Greenbrier Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Greenbrier Companies presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $49.00.

Greenbrier Companies Price Performance

NYSE:GBX opened at $52.19 on Thursday. Greenbrier Companies has a one year low of $38.23 and a one year high of $59.19. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $53.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.62.

Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 7th. The transportation company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.35). Greenbrier Companies had a return on equity of 8.94% and a net margin of 5.12%.The business had revenue of $587.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $667.02 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. The company's revenue was down 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Greenbrier Companies will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO William J. Krueger sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 59,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,963,100. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Austin Asset Management Co Inc lifted its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Austin Asset Management Co Inc now owns 21,403 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 7,114 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 17,188 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $802,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 2.5% in the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 14,198 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Greenbrier Companies by 1.6% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 28,747 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,324,000 after buying an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.59% of the company's stock.

About Greenbrier Companies

The Greenbrier Companies, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading supplier of freight transportation equipment and services. The company designs, engineers and manufactures railroad freight cars—such as intermodal well cars, covered hoppers, tank cars and double-stack cars—as well as marine barges for domestic and international customers. Beyond original equipment production, Greenbrier provides aftermarket services including maintenance, repair, refurbishment and mechanical overhauls under long-term service agreements.

Greenbrier's operations are organized into OEM and aftermarket segments, with manufacturing facilities and engineering centers across North America, Europe and Russia.

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