GATX Corporation Reports 2019 Third-Quarter Results

Net income for the third quarter 2019 was $45.1 million or $1.25 per diluted shareCompany expects to be at the high end of or slightly above the range of its previously disclosed 2019 full-year earnings guidance of $4.85-$5.15Rail North America’s fleet utilization remained strong at 99.2%CHICAGO, Oct. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GATX Corporation (NYSE:GATX) today reported 2019 third quarter net income of $45.1 million or $1.25 per diluted share, compared to net income of $47.0 million or $1.22 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2018.  Year-to-date 2019 net income was $154.6 million or $4.22 per diluted share, compared to $162.1 million or $4.21 per diluted share in the prior year period.2019 year-to-date results include a net deferred tax benefit of $2.8 million or $0.07 per diluted share related to an enacted foreign tax rate reduction.  The 2018 year-to-date results include a net negative impact of $5.8 million or $0.15 per diluted share, attributed to costs associated with the closure of a railcar maintenance facility in Germany in the second quarter.  Details related to Tax Adjustments and Other Items are provided in the attached Supplemental Information.Brian A. Kenney, president and chief executive officer of GATX stated, “For the third consecutive quarter, North American railroad car loadings decreased and railroad velocity increased relative to 2018.  Despite these negative indicators for the railcar leasing market, GATX’s fleet is generally performing as we expected coming into 2019.“The renewal lease rate change of GATX’s Lease Price Index was negative 7.7% in the quarter, with an average renewal term of 40 months.  GATX’s fleet utilization remained very high at 99.2%, due to our highly diversified fleet and our commercial team continuing to displace competitors.  This commercial success, combined with better than expected maintenance cost performance, has resulted in strong financial results for Rail North America thus far in 2019.“Rail International is performing well.  Utilization at GATX Rail Europe increased to a historic high of 99.4%, as we continue to see strong demand for railcars across the markets that we serve.  In India, the fleet grew to over 3,200 railcars, as increasing customer demand for railcar leasing continues to drive new investment.“Rolls-Royce and Partners Finance affiliates’ performance is excellent as the demand for aircraft spare engines remains strong.  At American Steamship Company, despite recent developments in the iron ore market, 11 vessels are currently sailing under favorable operating conditions on the Great Lakes.”Mr. Kenney concluded, “Based on year-to-date performance and our outlook for the remainder of the year, we expect our 2019 full-year earnings to be at the high end of or slightly above our previously disclosed range of $4.85 to $5.15 per diluted share.  This guidance excludes any impact from Tax Adjustments and Other Items.”RAIL NORTH AMERICA
Rail North America reported segment profit of $60.9 million in the third quarter of 2019, compared to $68.2 million in the third quarter of 2018.  Year to date, Rail North America reported segment profit of $215.1 million, compared to $241.3 million in the same period of 2018.  The decline in quarter and year-to-date 2019 results was predominantly driven by lower gains on asset dispositions and higher maintenance expense.
At Sept. 30, 2019, Rail North America’s wholly owned fleet was comprised of approximately 119,000 railcars, including approximately 16,000 boxcars.  The following fleet statistics and performance discussion exclude the boxcar fleet.Fleet utilization was 99.2% at the end of the third quarter, compared to 99.5% at the end of the prior quarter and 99.2% at the end of the third quarter of 2018.  During the third quarter of 2019, the GATX Lease Price Index (LPI), a weighted-average lease renewal rate for a group of railcars representative of Rail North America’s fleet, was negative 7.7%.  This compares to an LPI of negative 2.8% in the prior quarter and a negative 11.5% in the third quarter of 2018.  The average lease renewal term for railcars included in the LPI during the third quarter was 40 months, compared to 40 months in the prior quarter and 33 months in the third quarter of 2018. Rail North America’s investment volume during the third quarter was $138.1 million.Additional fleet statistics, including information about the boxcar fleet, and macroeconomic data related to Rail North America’s business are provided on the last page of this press release.RAIL INTERNATIONAL
Rail International’s segment profit was $19.9 million in the third quarter of 2019, compared to $20.7 million in the third quarter of 2018.  Higher revenue, due to more railcars on lease, was more than offset by higher maintenance expense and foreign exchange impacts.  Rail International reported segment profit of $56.0 million year-to-date 2019, compared to $52.5 million for the same period of 2018.  The year-to-date 2018 results include $8.6 million of expense ($5.8 million after-tax) related to the closure of GATX Rail Europe’s (GRE) railcar maintenance facility in Germany.  Excluding this expense, year-to-date results were negatively impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and higher maintenance expense.
At Sept. 30, 2019, GRE’s fleet consisted of approximately 24,000 railcars and utilization was 99.4%, compared to 98.9% at the end of the prior quarter and 98.4% at the end of the third quarter of 2018. Additional fleet statistics for GRE are provided on the last page of this press release.PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Portfolio Management reported segment profit of $10.7 million in the third quarter of 2019, compared to a segment profit of $9.0 million in the third quarter of 2018.  Segment profit year-to-date 2019 was $34.9 million, compared to $34.3 million year-to-date 2018.  Favorable results in the comparative periods were predominantly driven by the strong performance at the Rolls-Royce and Partner Finance affiliates (RRPF) partially offset by lower marine operating results.
AMERICAN STEAMSHIP COMPANY
American Steamship Company (ASC) reported segment profit of $12.1 million in the third quarter of 2019, compared to $11.9 million in the third quarter of 2018.  Segment profit year-to-date 2019 was $26.7 million, compared to $20.7 million year-to-date 2018. ASC carried 19.5 million net tons of cargo through the third quarter of 2019, compared to 17.7 million net tons during the same period in 2018.  The improvement in segment profit was primarily driven by favorable operating conditions and efficient fleet performance.
TELECONFERENCE INFORMATION
GATX Corporation will host a teleconference to discuss 2019 third-quarter results. Call details are as follows:
Tuesday, Oct. 22
11:00 a.m.  Eastern Time
Domestic Dial-In:  1-800-367-2403
International Dial-In:  1-334-777-6978
Replay: 1-888-203-1112 or 1-719-457-0820 /Access Code: 3782419
Call-in details, a copy of this press release and real-time audio access are available at www.gatx.com. Please access the call 15 minutes prior to the start time. Following the call, a replay will be available on the same site.COMPANY DESCRIPTION
GATX Corporation (NYSE:GATX) strives to be recognized as the finest railcar leasing company in the world by our customers, our shareholders, our employees and the communities where we operate.  As the leading global railcar lessor, GATX has been providing quality railcars and services to its customers for more than 120 years. GATX has been headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, since its founding in 1898. For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.gatx.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this Earnings Release not based on historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, accordingly, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those discussed.  These include statements as to our future expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, events, conditions, financial performance, prospects, or future events.  In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “outlook,” “continue,” “likely,” “will,” “would”, and similar words and phrases.  Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain.  Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and are not guarantees of future performance. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements.
The following factors, in addition to those discussed in our other filings with the SEC, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, could cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations expressed in forward-looking statements:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
GATX Corporation
Jennifer McManus
Senior Director, Investor Relations
GATX Corporation
312-621-6409
[email protected]
Investor, corporate, financial, historical financial, and news release information may be found at www.gatx.com.(10/22/2019)
GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
(In millions, except per share data)
GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
(In millions)

GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT DATA (UNAUDITED)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2019
(In millions)
__________
(1) Includes net gains from scrapping of railcars.

GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT DATA (UNAUDITED)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)
 __________(1) Includes net gains from scrapping of railcars.
GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT DATA (UNAUDITED)
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
(In millions)
__________
(1) Includes net gains from scrapping of railcars.

GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT DATA (UNAUDITED)
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
(In millions)
__________
(1) Includes net gains from scrapping of railcars.

GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
(In millions, except per share data)
Impact of Tax Adjustments and Other Items on Net Income*Impact of Tax Adjustments and Other Items on Diluted Earnings per Share*(*) In addition to financial results reported in accordance with GAAP, we compute certain financial measures using non-GAAP components. Specifically, we exclude the effects of certain tax adjustments and other items for purposes of presenting net income, diluted earnings per share, and return on equity because we believe these items are not attributable to our business operations. Management utilizes net income, excluding tax adjustments and other items, when analyzing financial performance because such amounts reflect the underlying operating results that are within management’s ability to influence. Accordingly, we believe presenting this information provides investors and other users of our financial statements with meaningful supplemental information for purposes of analyzing year-to-year financial performance on a comparable basis and assessing trends.
GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
(In millions, except leverage)
 _________(1) Under the new lease accounting standard, off-balance sheet recourse debt is no longer applicable beginning in 2019.
(2) Includes on- and off-balance sheet debt, commercial paper and bank credit facilities, and operating and finance lease obligations, net of unrestricted cash.
(3) Calculated as total recourse debt / shareholder’s equity.
(*) A portion of our North American railcar fleet is financed through sale-leasebacks that are accounted for as operating leases. Prior to 2019, these railcar assets were not recorded on the balance sheet. Under the new lease accounting standard adopted on January 1, 2019, GATX records these railcar operating leases on the balance sheet as right-of-use assets with corresponding amounts for operating lease liabilities. Prior to 2019, we reported total on- and off-balance sheet assets in our calculation of total assets (as adjusted) because we believed it provided investors a more comprehensive representation of the magnitude of the assets we operated and that drove our financial performance. In addition, this calculation of total assets (as adjusted) provided consistency with other non-financial information we disclosed about our fleet, including the number of railcars in the fleet, average number of cars on lease, and utilization. We also provide information regarding our leverage ratios, which are expressed as a ratio of debt (including off-balance sheet debt) to equity. The off-balance sheet debt amount in this calculation was the equivalent of the off-balance sheet asset amount. We believe reporting this corresponding off-balance sheet debt amount provided investors and other users of our financial statements with a more comprehensive representation of our debt obligations, leverage, and capital structure.
GATX CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
(Continued)
 _________(1) GATX’s Lease Price Index (LPI) is an internally-generated business indicator that measures lease rate pricing on renewals for our North American railcar fleet, excluding boxcars. GATX calculates the index using the weighted-average lease rate for a group of railcar types that GATX believes best represents its overall North American fleet, excluding boxcars. The average renewal lease rate change is reported as the percentage change between the average renewal lease rate and the average expiring lease rate, weighted by fleet composition. The average renewal lease term is reported in months and reflects the average renewal lease term of railcar types in the LPI, weighted by fleet composition.
(2) Excludes boxcar fleet.
(3) As reported and revised by the Federal Reserve.
(4) As reported by the Association of American Railroads (AAR).
(5) As reported by the Railway Supply Institute (RSI).
(6) Not available, not published as of the date of this release.
 

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