Knight-Swift Transportation Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:KNX)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors bought 4,943 put options on KNX—about a 226% increase versus typical put volume—signaling elevated bearish positioning in the stock.
• Recent results and outlook: Knight‑Swift reported Q4 EPS of $0.31 (missed by $0.05) and $1.86B revenue, set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.280–0.320 EPS, and the shares trade around $62.26 with a market cap of $10.11B and a high P/E of 151.88.
• Dividend and insider moves: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 ($0.80 annual, 1.3% yield) while insiders recently sold shares (COO sold 5,917 and the chairman sold 30,000), and institutional investors own about 88.8% of the stock.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 4,943 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 226% compared to the typical volume of 1,518 put options.

Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KNX traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $62.26. The stock had a trading volume of 832,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,217,142. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.34 and a 200-day moving average of $52.30. The firm has a market cap of $10.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.88, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Knight-Swift Transportation has a fifty-two week low of $37.70 and a fifty-two week high of $64.10.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Knight-Swift Transportation had a return on equity of 2.88% and a net margin of 0.88%.The company's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Knight-Swift Transportation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Knight-Swift Transportation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 195.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO James L. Fitzsimmons sold 5,917 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.77, for a total value of $324,074.09. Following the sale, the chief operating officer 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Kevin P. Knight sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.00, for a total transaction of $1,830,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 1,305,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,626,167. This trade represents a 2.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,930 shares of company stock valued at $2,581,186. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 44.4% in the 4th 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 period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 0.6% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 52,930 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 75,102 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,926,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 956 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stephens decreased their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore upgraded shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.83.

About Knight-Swift Transportation

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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