Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.41.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna raised Knight-Swift Transportation from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $67.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $63.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd.

Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:KNX opened at $44.99 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $52.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.33. The company has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 61.63 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. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.03. Knight-Swift Transportation had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 2.43%. Analysts anticipate that Knight-Swift Transportation 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 Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Knight-Swift Transportation news, Director Douglas L. Col bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $45.37 per share, with a total value of $226,850.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $226,850. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 88.7% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 685 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 84.3% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 809 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 71.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,201 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,254 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. 88.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Knight-Swift Transportation Company Profile

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.