Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.41.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on KNX shares. Raymond James increased their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $63.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Performance

NYSE KNX opened at $44.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 60.81 and a beta of 0.97. Knight-Swift Transportation has a twelve month low of $42.72 and a twelve month high of $61.51.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Douglas L. Col acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $45.37 per share, for a total transaction of $226,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $226,850. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation during the 3rd quarter worth about $70,185,000. Interval Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 320.7% during the fourth quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 1,754,822 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $93,076,000 after buying an additional 1,337,727 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,839,000. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,355,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation by 59.5% in the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 1,435,562 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $76,142,000 after acquiring an additional 535,518 shares during 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, 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.