Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $62.63 and last traded at $60.69, with a volume of 817399 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $59.20.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $49.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $51.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $50.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $63.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.00.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 147.66, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $0.31 earnings per share 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 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 revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Knight-Swift Transportation’s payout ratio is 195.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 directly owned 8,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $477,375.32. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Kevin P. Knight sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $71,686,750.47. The trade was a 2.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 46,852 shares of company stock worth $2,426,770 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Knight-Swift Transportation

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 385 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 868 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted 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 worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.77% of the company’s stock.

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.