Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Knight-Swift Transportation to “buy” from “hold.” The broader analyst consensus is also “buy,” with an average price target of $84.44.
• Knight-Swift exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.63 EPS versus the $0.51 consensus and $2.10 billion in revenue, up 12.6% year over year. The company guided to third-quarter EPS of $0.71–$0.77.
• Shares opened at $69.59, compared with a 52-week range of $38.63 to $82.86. Two insiders recently sold shares, while institutional investors own 88.77% of the company.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

KNX has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $84.44.

Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Performance

Knight-Swift Transportation stock opened at $69.59 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.88. Knight-Swift Transportation has a fifty-two week low of $38.63 and a fifty-two week high of $82.86. The company has a market capitalization of $11.31 billion, a PE ratio of 267.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.18.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.12. Knight-Swift Transportation had a return on equity of 3.51% and a net margin of 0.56%.The firm had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.21 earnings per share. Knight-Swift Transportation's quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.710-0.770 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Reid Dove sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.25, for a total value of $3,512,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 169,154 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,883,068.50. The trade was a 22.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Cary M. Flanagan sold 3,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.82, for a total value of $254,952.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 5,405 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $382,782.10. The trade was a 39.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 123.9% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 544 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 134.6% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 868 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 1,478.6% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 884 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 828 shares during the last quarter. 88.77% of the stock is currently 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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