GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

GATX Co. (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,260,000 shares, an increase of 7.7% from the April 15th total of 1,170,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 136,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 9.2 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Kevin Hillesland sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.83, for a total value of $294,426.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,711 shares in the company, valued at $1,031,963.13. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other GATX news, SVP Kevin Hillesland sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.83, for a total value of $294,426.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,031,963.13. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Anne L. Arvia sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.98, for a total value of $131,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,286,314.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.99% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in GATX during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in GATX during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in GATX in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of GATX during the third quarter worth $33,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in GATX by 155.7% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 335 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.14% of the company's stock.

GATX Stock Performance

Shares of GATX traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $136.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 154,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 141,870. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33 and a beta of 1.00. GATX has a one year low of $97.21 and a one year high of $137.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $130.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.28, a quick ratio of 3.39 and a current ratio of 3.39.

GATX (NYSE:GATX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.72 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $379.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $375.80 million. GATX had a return on equity of 11.29% and a net margin of 17.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that GATX will post 7.55 EPS for the current year.

GATX Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. GATX's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GATX. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of GATX from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on GATX from $122.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on GATX from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th.

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.