Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Updates Q2 Earnings Guidance

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) updated its second quarter earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.26-0.30 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.48. Knight-Swift Transportation also updated its Q1 guidance to $0.11-0.12 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on KNX shares. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $62.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $62.75.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

Knight-Swift Transportation stock traded down $2.23 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $48.55. 10,939,680 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,046,065. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 12 month low of $45.73 and a 12 month high of $60.99. The business’s 50-day moving average is $55.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.27.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The transportation company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.38). Knight-Swift Transportation had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 3.93%. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. This is a positive change from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.12%.

Insider Activity at Knight-Swift Transportation

In other news, CAO Cary M. Flanagan sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.24, for a total value of $112,480.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 5,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,836.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Knight-Swift Transportation

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation during the first quarter worth $220,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 55.8% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation during the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Systematic Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation during the first quarter worth approximately $154,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,494 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.77% of the company’s stock.

About Knight-Swift Transportation

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides freight transportation services in the United States and Mexico. The company operates through four segments: Truckload, Less-than-truckload (LTL), Logistics, and Intermodal. The Truckload segment provides transportation services, which include irregular route and dedicated, refrigerated, expedited, flatbed, and cross-border operations.