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

Shares of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.38.

Several research analysts have issued reports on KNX shares. Citigroup downgraded shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Up 1.1 %

KNX opened at $53.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.21 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 0.85. Knight-Swift Transportation has a one year low of $45.55 and a one year high of $61.51. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.07.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last issued 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 return on equity of 2.43% and a net margin of 1.59%. Analysts anticipate that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. This is an increase from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Knight-Swift Transportation’s payout ratio is currently 87.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KNX. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $70,185,000. Interval Partners LP increased its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 320.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the fourth quarter valued at $65,839,000. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation during the 4th quarter worth $34,355,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $76,142,000 after buying an additional 535,518 shares in the last quarter. 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.