Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.38.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays increased their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup lowered Knight-Swift Transportation from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised Knight-Swift Transportation from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd.

Knight-Swift Transportation Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE KNX traded down $1.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $52.02. 5,173,363 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,275,911. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.06. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 12 month low of $45.55 and a 12 month high of $61.51. The company has a market capitalization of $8.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.25 and a beta of 0.99.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. 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 87.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KNX. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the third quarter worth approximately $70,185,000. Interval Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 320.7% during the 4th quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 1,754,822 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $93,076,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,727 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Knight-Swift Transportation during the fourth quarter worth $65,839,000. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Knight-Swift Transportation in the fourth quarter worth $34,355,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC increased its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation by 59.5% in the fourth quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 1,435,562 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $76,142,000 after purchasing an additional 535,518 shares in the last quarter. 88.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.