The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,920,000 shares, a growth of 5.5% from the August 31st total of 1,820,000 shares. Currently, 6.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 328,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.9 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut Greenbrier Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.67.

Insider Transactions at Greenbrier Companies

In other news, SVP Laurie R. Dornan sold 5,935 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.92, for a total value of $302,210.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 23,226 shares in the company, valued at $1,182,667.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Greenbrier Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors own 95.59% of the company’s stock.

Greenbrier Companies Stock Performance

Greenbrier Companies stock traded down $1.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.60. 181,494 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 326,177. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Greenbrier Companies has a 12-month low of $32.00 and a 12-month high of $58.00. The business’s 50-day moving average is $47.83 and its 200-day moving average is $49.80.

Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 8th. The transportation company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $820.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $928.73 million. Greenbrier Companies had a net margin of 3.51% and a return on equity of 8.95%. The firm’s revenue was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Greenbrier Companies will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Greenbrier Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 23rd were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, July 23rd. Greenbrier Companies’s payout ratio is 31.41%.

About Greenbrier Companies

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets railroad freight car equipment in North America, Europe, and South America. It operates through three segments: Manufacturing; Maintenance Services; and Leasing & Management Services. The Manufacturing segment offers covered hopper cars, gondolas, open top hoppers, boxcars, center partition cars, tank cars, sustainable conversions, double-stack railcars, auto-max ii, multi-max, and multi-max plus products, intermodal cars, automobile transport, coil steel and metals, flat cars, sliding wall cars, pressurized tank cars, and non-pressurized tank cars.