XPO (NYSE:XPO) Shares Gap Up Following Strong Earnings

Shares of XPO, Inc. (NYSE:XPO) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $179.54, but opened at $200.08. XPO shares last traded at $196.5630, with a volume of 1,113,645 shares trading hands.

The transportation company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.12. XPO had a net margin of 4.13% and a return on equity of 26.14%. The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. XPO’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of XPO from $162.00 to $160.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 5th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of XPO to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Wolfe Research cut XPO from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $148.00 target price (down from $151.00) on shares of XPO in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $163.00 price target on shares of XPO in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, XPO presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $153.29.

Institutional Trading of XPO

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of XPO. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its position in shares of XPO by 72.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 197 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in XPO during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in XPO by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 200 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in XPO in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in XPO in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 97.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

XPO Trading Up 8.1%

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $146.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.26. The company has a market cap of $22.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 2.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

About XPO

XPO Logistics, Inc is a global provider of transportation and logistics services, offering a broad portfolio of solutions designed to optimize supply chains for businesses of all sizes. The company’s operations span freight brokerage, less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping, full truckload transportation, last-mile delivery, contract logistics and global forwarding. XPO aims to leverage advanced technology and operational expertise to drive efficiency, visibility and reliability across end-to-end supply-chain networks.

In its freight brokerage segment, XPO connects shippers to a network of carriers through digital platforms that facilitate rate comparisons, booking, tracking and settlement.