Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 43,429 Shares of ArcBest Corporation $ARCB

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its ArcBest stake by 37.7% in the first quarter, purchasing 43,429 additional shares. It now owns 158,742 shares valued at approximately $15.6 million.
• ArcBest reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.38 on revenue of about $1.18 billion, beating estimates and posting 15.9% year-over-year revenue growth. However, the company recorded a GAAP loss due largely to restructuring costs and expects about $40 million in annualized savings by the first quarter of 2027.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $155.62, while ArcBest shares recently traded down 5.3%. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share, representing a 0.3% annualized yield.

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ:ARCB - Free Report) by 37.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 158,742 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,429 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.71% of ArcBest worth $15,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of ArcBest by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,451,162 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $181,852,000 after purchasing an additional 6,808 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in ArcBest by 3.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,397,287 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $137,429,000 after buying an additional 47,848 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in ArcBest by 625.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 920,498 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $68,292,000 after buying an additional 793,607 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in ArcBest during the third quarter worth about $39,508,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its position in ArcBest by 4.9% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 520,886 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,394,000 after buying an additional 24,102 shares in the last quarter. 99.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ARCB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their target price on ArcBest from $138.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Citigroup began coverage on ArcBest in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market outperform" rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of ArcBest from $134.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of ArcBest from $137.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of ArcBest from $122.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, ArcBest has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.62.

ArcBest News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ArcBest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ArcBest reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.38 per share, above analyst estimates of roughly $2.26-$2.30 and well ahead of $1.36 a year earlier. Revenue rose 15.9% year over year to approximately $1.18 billion, slightly exceeding or matching consensus expectations. ArcBest quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company expects its restructuring program to produce approximately $40 million in annualized cost savings once it reaches a full run rate by the first quarter of 2027. Those savings could support margins and earnings if freight demand remains stable. ArcBest restructuring cost savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and financial coverage highlighted the strong year-over-year earnings improvement and revenue growth, while noting that the quarter’s key operating metrics were broadly in line with expectations. Investors will likely focus on freight volumes, pricing and execution of the restructuring plan. ARCB versus JBHT valuation comparison
• Negative Sentiment: ArcBest reported a second-quarter loss on a GAAP basis, primarily because of restructuring costs. The company’s 1.38% net margin and 6.15% return on equity also underscore the limited current profitability, which may have outweighed the adjusted EPS beat. ArcBest reports second-quarter loss
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings release followed a substantial 2026 rally, raising the bar for results. With the stock trading at a relatively elevated earnings multiple, investors may be taking profits and demanding clearer evidence that restructuring savings will translate into sustained margin expansion.

ArcBest Trading Down 5.3%

NASDAQ ARCB opened at $141.49 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $148.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.03. ArcBest Corporation has a twelve month low of $59.43 and a twelve month high of $176.69. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.23, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.57.

ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. ArcBest had a return on equity of 6.15% and a net margin of 1.38%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 EPS. Research analysts forecast that ArcBest Corporation will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ArcBest Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. ArcBest's payout ratio is presently 19.75%.

ArcBest Company Profile

ArcBest Corporation NASDAQ: ARCB is a transportation and logistics company that offers comprehensive freight and supply chain solutions across North America. Founded in 1923 as Arkansas Best Freight System, the company has evolved into a diversified service provider with both asset-based and asset-light operations. Its core businesses include less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping through ABF Freight, expedited full-truckload services via Panther Premium Logistics, and a range of logistics and supply chain management services under its ArcBest Integrated Logistics division.

The company's asset-based operations also encompass FleetNet America, a provider of emergency roadside assistance and maintenance services for heavy-duty vehicles.

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