Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Price Target to $49.00

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $57.00 to $49.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on KNX. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Knight-Swift Transportation from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Raymond James cut their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $66.00 to $55.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in a research report on Monday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.00.

Knight-Swift Transportation Price Performance

Knight-Swift Transportation stock opened at $38.16 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.18 billion, a PE ratio of 52.27 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.91. Knight-Swift Transportation has a 12 month low of $36.69 and a 12 month high of $61.51.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The transportation company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 expect that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 EPS for the current year.

Knight-Swift Transportation Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is an increase from Knight-Swift Transportation’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Knight-Swift Transportation’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.63%.

Insider Activity

In other Knight-Swift Transportation news, Director Douglas L. Col purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $45.37 per share, with a total value of $226,850.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $226,850. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Knight-Swift Transportation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 84.3% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 809 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 20.5% in the fourth 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. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 18.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation by 167.2% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 1,336 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. 88.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.