Noble Financial Has Negative Outlook for RAIL Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Noble Financial sharply lowered its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for FreightCar America to $0.01 (from $0.05) and expects Q2 EPS of $0.04, signaling a weaker near‑term outlook versus prior forecasts; the consensus full‑year EPS remains $0.09.
• FreightCar America recently missed quarterly expectations (reported $0.16 EPS vs. $0.18 estimate and revenue $125.6M vs. $145.0M), its shares trade around $7.86—well below the 50‑day ($11.47) and 200‑day ($10.19) SMAs—and analyst sentiment is mixed despite an average price target of $9.00.

Freightcar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Noble Financial lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Freightcar America in a report released on Monday, March 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 $0.05. The consensus estimate for Freightcar America's current full-year earnings is $0.09 per share. Noble Financial also issued estimates for Freightcar America's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.04 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Freightcar America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings raised Freightcar America from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $9.00.

Freightcar America Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ RAIL opened at $7.86 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $11.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.19. Freightcar America has a 52 week low of $4.31 and a 52 week high of $14.90. The firm has a market cap of $149.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.08 and a beta of 1.75.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freightcar America

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Freightcar America by 208.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,935 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Freightcar America by 2,843.5% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,062 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 3,924 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Freightcar America in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Freightcar America in the second quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Freightcar America during the first quarter worth about $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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