Noble Financial Has Negative Forecast for RAIL Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Noble Financial cut its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for FreightCar America (RAIL) to ($0.01) from $0.01 and now forecasts FY2026 EPS of $0.40 versus a MarketBeat consensus full-year estimate of $0.44.
• FreightCar America recently missed estimates, reporting $0.16 EPS versus $0.18 expected and $125.57M in revenue versus $144.95M, with a 7.61% net margin and a negative 15.54% return on equity, indicating near-term operational pressure.
• Analyst views are mixed—some upgrades and downgrades left the average rating at "Buy"—while several institutional investors have been increasing positions and the stock trades around $8.30, below its 50- and 200-day moving averages (market cap ~$158M, P/E ~7.48).

Freightcar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Noble Financial dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Freightcar America in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 30th. Noble Financial analyst M. Reichman now anticipates that the transportation company will earn ($0.01) per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.01. The consensus estimate for Freightcar America's current full-year earnings is $0.44 per share. Noble Financial also issued estimates for Freightcar America's FY2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on RAIL. Weiss Ratings upgraded Freightcar America from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Freightcar America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freightcar America presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Freightcar America Price Performance

Freightcar America stock opened at $8.30 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.07. Freightcar America has a 1 year low of $5.99 and a 1 year high of $14.90. The stock has a market cap of $158.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.48 and a beta of 1.55.

Freightcar America (NASDAQ:RAIL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The transportation company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.02). Freightcar America had a net margin of 7.61% and a negative return on equity of 15.54%. The business had revenue of $125.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.95 million.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freightcar America

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Freightcar America by 708.2% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 290,954 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,221,000 after purchasing an additional 254,954 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Freightcar America by 92.4% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 446,420 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 214,397 shares in the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freightcar America in the third quarter worth $2,007,000. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Freightcar America by 907.4% during the fourth quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 170,830 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,891,000 after buying an additional 153,872 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Freightcar America by 161.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 153,172 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,696,000 after buying an additional 94,694 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.96% of the company's stock.

Freightcar America Company Profile

FreightCar America, Inc is a designer and manufacturer of specialized railroad freight cars, offering a diverse range of products that include tank cars, open and covered hoppers, gondolas, boxcars and centerbeam lumber cars. The company supports both new car construction and the rebuilding of existing fleets, providing custom engineering solutions to meet customer specifications and industry regulations. FreightCar America also supplies aftermarket parts, maintenance services and component remanufacturing for its own fleet and for third-party car owners.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, FreightCar America traces its origins to early 20th-century railcar builders and began trading as an independent, publicly-listed company on the NASDAQ under the ticker RAIL following a spin-off in 2010.

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