Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Hits New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $65.00 to $75.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Knight-Swift Transportation traded as high as $64.10 and last traded at $63.50, with a volume of 3120319 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $61.61.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a report on Friday, February 6th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $49.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.56.

Insider Activity at Knight-Swift Transportation

In other news, CFO Joshua Smith sold 5,770 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.91, for a total value of $351,450.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $561,224.74. This represents a 38.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Kevin P. Knight sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.01, for a total transaction of $1,785,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,405,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,686,750.47. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 77,930 shares of company stock valued at $4,366,536 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% 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. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 134.6% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 1,478.6% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 7,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 936 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 111.3% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 936 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 88.77% of the company’s stock.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $10.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.88, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s fifty day moving average is $57.67 and its 200 day moving average is $49.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last issued 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 business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio is 175.61%.

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.