Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $57.00 to $49.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. TD Securities cut their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $55.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $55.00 to $49.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.25.

Knight-Swift Transportation Trading Up 2.4%

Knight-Swift Transportation stock traded up $1.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.18. 2,984,118 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,393,464. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 52 week low of $36.69 and a 52 week high of $61.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 50.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.83 billion. Knight-Swift Transportation had a net margin of 2.04% and a return on equity of 2.79%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.12 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Knight-Swift Transportation's payout ratio is presently 76.60%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,175,335 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,340,000 after acquiring an additional 28,387 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 533.9% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 33,614 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 28,311 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 668.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,743 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,511,000 after purchasing an additional 30,219 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 18,968 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $749,000. 88.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Knight-Swift Transportation Company Profile

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.