Brandes Investment Partners LP Boosts Holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX)

Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNX - Free Report) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 708,679 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,470 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP owned 0.44% of Knight-Swift Transportation worth $37,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 8,335 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $442,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 20,305 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,077,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 38,808 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,058,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $297,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $424,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.77% of the company's stock.

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Knight-Swift Transportation Stock Down 2.6 %

Knight-Swift Transportation stock traded down $1.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $45.19. 4,460,820 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,126,603. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.95 and a twelve month high of $61.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.82 and a 200-day moving average of $53.54. The company has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.90 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX - Get Free Report) 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 1.59%. This is a positive change from Knight-Swift Transportation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Knight-Swift Transportation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KNX has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup upgraded 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. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $63.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.41.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Douglas L. Col acquired 5,000 shares of Knight-Swift Transportation stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $45.37 per share, for a total transaction of $226,850.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $226,850. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% 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.