Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Knight‑Swift introduced Q2 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $0.45–$0.49, which is roughly in line with the consensus estimate of $0.48; the company did not provide revenue guidance.
• The company sharply cut Q1 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $0.08–$0.10 (from $0.28–$0.32), citing higher fuel costs and winter weather as the primary negative catalysts.
• Shares jumped to $64.26 on the news and several analysts raised price targets (Benchmark to $70), while Knight‑Swift also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 (annualized $0.80) despite a high payout ratio of ~195%.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) updated its second quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.450-0.490 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.480. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Knight-Swift Transportation also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 0.080-0.100 EPS.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KNX traded up $2.70 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $64.26. 4,239,772 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,248,169. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 52 week low of $37.76 and a 52 week high of $65.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $58.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.52. The company has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 156.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.11.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.05). Knight-Swift Transportation had a net margin of 0.88% and a return on equity of 2.88%. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.36 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 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 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Knight-Swift Transportation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Knight-Swift Transportation's payout ratio is currently 195.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $49.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Knight-Swift Transportation has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.11.

Insider Activity at Knight-Swift Transportation

In related news, COO James L. Fitzsimmons sold 5,917 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.77, for a total value of $324,074.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 8,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $477,375.32. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Kevin P. Knight sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total value of $1,830,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,305,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,626,167. This trade represents a 2.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,930 shares of company stock worth $2,581,186. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

More Knight-Swift Transportation News

Here are the key news stories impacting Knight-Swift Transportation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target to $70 and kept a "buy" rating, signaling continued analyst confidence and providing near‑term upside support for the stock. Benchmark Raises Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Knight‑Swift introduced Q2 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $0.45–$0.49, which is roughly in line with the $0.48 consensus — this reduces uncertainty for Q2 but does not materially change expectations. Company Q2 Guidance Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings coverage (Zacks) flagged that KNX may not have the setup for an earnings beat, reinforcing that expectations heading into the report were modest. Zacks Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent market commentary listed KNX among stocks worth watching, which may have contributed to trading interest but did not add new company‑specific catalysts. Yahoo Market Note
• Negative Sentiment: Most consequential: Knight‑Swift cut its Q1 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $0.08–$0.10 from a prior $0.28–$0.32 range, well below the ~ $0.25 consensus — management cited higher fuel costs and winter weather as drivers of the shortfall, which is the primary negative catalyst for the stock today. WSJ: Cuts First‑Quarter Guidance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 1,478.6% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 884 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 151.6% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 941 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 567 shares during the period. Sfam LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth about $103,000. 88.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Knight-Swift Transportation Company Profile

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc NYSE: KNX is one of North America's largest asset-based truckload carriers, offering a wide range of transportation and logistics services. The company was formed in 2017 through the merger of Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation, each with decades of experience in long-haul dry van and refrigerated freight. Since the merger, Knight-Swift has pursued a growth strategy that includes fleet expansions, targeted acquisitions, and investments in technology to enhance service reliability and network efficiency.

The company's core business activities include full truckload operations for dry van, temperature-controlled and flatbed shipments.

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