Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODFL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODFL) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $185.4583.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ODFL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Old Dominion Freight Line from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Old Dominion Freight Line in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Old Dominion Freight Line from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $232.00 target price on shares of Old Dominion Freight Line in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $209.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Old Dominion Freight Line in a report on Wednesday.

Old Dominion Freight Line Price Performance

NASDAQ ODFL opened at $202.47 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $166.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.34 billion, a PE ratio of 41.92, a PEG ratio of 10.17 and a beta of 1.28. Old Dominion Freight Line has a fifty-two week low of $126.01 and a fifty-two week high of $209.61.

Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The transportation company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Old Dominion Freight Line had a return on equity of 24.03% and a net margin of 18.62%.The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Old Dominion Freight Line’s revenue was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Old Dominion Freight Line will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Old Dominion Freight Line Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This is a boost from Old Dominion Freight Line’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Old Dominion Freight Line’s dividend payout ratio is 23.19%.

Institutional Trading of Old Dominion Freight Line

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Associated Banc Corp raised its holdings in Old Dominion Freight Line by 141.1% in the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 125,788 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $19,724,000 after buying an additional 73,606 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Old Dominion Freight Line by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. now owns 549,239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $86,121,000 after acquiring an additional 143,984 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,914 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 421,650 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $66,115,000 after purchasing an additional 62,900 shares during the last quarter. 77.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Old Dominion Freight Line

Here are the key news stories impacting Old Dominion Freight Line this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results modestly beat expectations (EPS $1.09 vs. $1.06) and management set cautious Q1 revenue guidance ($1.25B–$1.30B), signaling the freight market may be stabilizing — investors viewed this as the start of a recovery. Old Dominion Freight Line: Already Trading On A Strong Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised estimates/price targets after the quarter and called out the beat — the aggregate analyst activity (raises from Jefferies, Evercore, TD Cowen and others) supported upside momentum. Analysts Boost Their Forecasts After Better-Than-Expected Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: A large, high-profile price-target upgrade (reported coverage on the Morgan Stanley move) produced an outsized intraday jump earlier in the week, amplifying follow-through buying. Old Dominion Climbs 9.89% as Morgan Stanley Hikes PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary and management commentary point to early signs of improvement — “freight market starting to feel a little bit better” — but language remains cautious and recovery is described as early/still uneven. Old Dominion: Freight market ‘starting to feel a little bit better’
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity: Citi reaffirmed neutral with a $216 PT while other shops moved ratings/targets (some to “hold”/“in-line”) — this broad but mixed analyst reaction keeps sentiment balanced rather than uniformly bullish. Citi Reaffirms Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 5.7% Y/Y and LTL tons per day fell ~10.7% — volume weakness remains the primary headwind and a key reason some analysts trimmed ratings or kept conservative targets. Analyst note on volume declines
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side moves are negative: Robert W. Baird downgraded to underperform and other firms (Wells Fargo, JPMorgan in context) left targets below the current share price, creating downside risk if volume recovery stalls. Baird Downgrades Old Dominion
• Negative Sentiment: Regional economic commentary (Old Dominion University forecast) points to slowing local growth, a modest macro risk for freight demand if softening extends. Old Dominion University Economic Forecast

Old Dominion Freight Line Company Profile

Old Dominion Freight Line is a U.S.-based less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation company that provides regional, inter-regional and national freight services. Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, the company has grown from a regional carrier into a national freight network, operating a broad system of service centers and terminals to move shipments for shippers of varying sizes and industries.

The company’s core business is LTL trucking, offering scheduled pickup and delivery for palletized freight that does not require a full truckload.