Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $42.47 and last traded at $42.99, with a volume of 88511 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on KNX shares. Benchmark started coverage on Knight-Swift Transportation in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $63.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna cut their price target on Knight-Swift Transportation from $67.00 to $54.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $65.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Eight research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Knight-Swift Transportation presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.59.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.01 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $51.22 and its 200 day moving average is $53.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts forecast that Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. will post 2.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Knight-Swift Transportation news, Director Douglas L. Col purchased 5,000 shares of Knight-Swift Transportation 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 completion of the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Knight-Swift Transportation

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 20,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 6,687 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,769 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.