Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Given New $46.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) had its price objective lowered by UBS Group from $63.00 to $46.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $68.00 to $62.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James reduced their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $66.00 to $55.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. 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 report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Knight-Swift Transportation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.13.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

Shares of KNX opened at $38.97 on Tuesday. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 12 month low of $36.69 and a 12 month high of $61.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $45.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.56. The company has a market cap of $6.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.38 and a beta of 1.16.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.03. Knight-Swift Transportation had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 2.43%. On average, research analysts forecast that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. This is a boost from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Knight-Swift Transportation

In related news, Director Douglas L. Col bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $45.37 per share, for a total transaction of $226,850.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $226,850. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the third quarter worth about $70,185,000. Interval Partners LP boosted its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 320.7% in the 4th quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 1,754,822 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $93,076,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,727 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,839,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 54,434.0% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,103,768 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,003,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101,744 shares during the period. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the fourth quarter valued at $34,355,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.77% of the company’s stock.

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.