C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• C.H. Robinson reported Q1 adjusted EPS of $1.35, beating estimates by $0.11 and rising ~15% year‑over‑year, while revenue was essentially flat at $4.01 billion and quarterly revenue fell ~0.9% YoY; results were also weighed by $18.8M of restructuring charges.
• The company gained freight market share for the 12th consecutive quarter, increased contractual truckload mix to ~70% and highlighted its Lean AI automation program, which has lifted shipments per employee >50% since end‑2022 and targets double‑digit productivity gains by 2026.
• Headwinds include a ~12% YoY decline in Global Forwarding AGP from weaker ocean rates/volume and legal uncertainty around the pending Montgomery Supreme Court case, though management says it has contingency plans.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a net margin of 3.62% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The company had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.17 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from C.H. Robinson Worldwide's conference call:

• Q1 adjusted EPS rose 15% year‑over‑year despite a significant increase in truckload spot costs, with NAST gross margin held at 14.6% and adjusted gross profit outperforming the market.
• The company gained NAST market share for the 12th consecutive quarter, drove LTL volume growth (~2% YoY) and increased contractual truckload mix from ~65% to ~70% via targeted bids and disciplined revenue management.
• Management emphasized its Lean AI strategy and automation, reporting >50% higher shipments per person since end‑2022 and expecting double‑digit productivity in 2026 as custom AI agents scale to lower cost‑to‑serve.
• Global Forwarding AGP declined ~12% YoY (weaker ocean rates/volume), company revenue and AGP were down ~1%–2% YoY, and Q1 included $18.8M of restructuring charges that weighed on near‑term results.
• The pending Montgomery Supreme Court case poses legal and industry uncertainty if decided adversely, though management expects to prevail and says it has contingency plans for either outcome.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide stock opened at $186.43 on Thursday. C.H. Robinson Worldwide has a fifty-two week low of $86.58 and a fifty-two week high of $203.34. The business's fifty day moving average is $175.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $21.97 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.93.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. C.H. Robinson Worldwide's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other C.H. Robinson Worldwide news, CEO David P. Bozeman acquired 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $163.34 per share, with a total value of $199,764.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 190,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,132,604. This trade represents a 0.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Angela K. Freeman sold 8,579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.52, for a total value of $1,720,261.08. Following the transaction, the insider owned 55,611 shares in the company, valued at $11,151,117.72. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 2,422 shares of company stock valued at $400,801 and have sold 17,796 shares valued at $3,555,415. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CHRW. State Street Corp grew its holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 5.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,420,768 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $716,423,000 after purchasing an additional 397,177 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 198.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,143,297 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $945,773,000 after purchasing an additional 4,751,034 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,731,363 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $494,372,000 after purchasing an additional 213,245 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,254,439 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $362,424,000 after purchasing an additional 269,843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,872,508 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $301,024,000 after buying an additional 322,479 shares during the period. 93.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on CHRW shares. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $188.00 price objective on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, C.H. Robinson Worldwide has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.22.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Company Profile

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc is a third-party logistics provider founded in 1905 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Originally established as a produce brokerage firm, the company has since expanded its offerings to become one of the world's largest freight and logistics intermediaries. C.H. Robinson leverages a global network of transportation providers, technology platforms, and in-house expertise to connect shippers and carriers across multiple modes of transportation.

The company's primary services include truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, air and ocean freight, and managed transportation solutions.