Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Competitors

ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) and Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends and risk.

Does the media favor ARCB or ODFL?

In the previous week, Old Dominion Freight Line had 10 more articles in the media than ArcBest. MarketBeat recorded 23 mentions for Old Dominion Freight Line and 13 mentions for ArcBest. Old Dominion Freight Line's average media sentiment score of 0.83 beat ArcBest's score of 0.68 indicating that Old Dominion Freight Line is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
ArcBest	6 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Old Dominion Freight Line	11 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is ARCB or ODFL a better dividend stock?

ArcBest pays an annual dividend of $0.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Old Dominion Freight Line pays an annual dividend of $1.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. ArcBest pays out 6.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Old Dominion Freight Line pays out 21.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Old Dominion Freight Line has raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years. Old Dominion Freight Line is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more risk & volatility, ARCB or ODFL?

ArcBest has a beta of 1.71, suggesting that its stock price is 71% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Old Dominion Freight Line has a beta of 1.25, suggesting that its stock price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, ARCB or ODFL?

Old Dominion Freight Line has higher revenue and earnings than ArcBest. ArcBest is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Old Dominion Freight Line, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
ArcBest	$4.11B	0.47	$173.96M	$7.56	11.13
Old Dominion Freight Line	$5.81B	6.10	$1.19B	$5.33	31.48

Do analysts rate ARCB or ODFL?

ArcBest currently has a consensus price target of $94.00, suggesting a potential upside of 11.71%. Old Dominion Freight Line has a consensus price target of $174.85, suggesting a potential upside of 4.21%. Given ArcBest's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe ArcBest is more favorable than Old Dominion Freight Line.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
ArcBest	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.46
Old Dominion Freight Line	1 Sell rating(s)	14 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.27

Is ARCB or ODFL more profitable?

Old Dominion Freight Line has a net margin of 20.04% compared to ArcBest's net margin of 4.37%. Old Dominion Freight Line's return on equity of 27.40% beat ArcBest's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
ArcBest	4.37%	10.05%	5.35%
Old Dominion Freight Line	20.04%	27.40%	21.12%

Do institutionals & insiders believe in ARCB or ODFL?

99.3% of ArcBest shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.8% of Old Dominion Freight Line shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of ArcBest shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.0% of Old Dominion Freight Line shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Old Dominion Freight Line beats ArcBest on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.