ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The transportation company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.09), FiscalAI reports. ArcBest had a net margin of 2.41% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The business had revenue of $972.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $963.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from ArcBest’s conference call:

• Consolidated results were weaker year‑over‑year with revenue of $973 million (‑3%), non‑GAAP operating income from continuing operations of $14 million vs. $41 million last year, and adjusted non‑GAAP EPS of $0.36 vs. $1.33 in Q4 2024.
• The Asset‑Light business materially improved, achieving break‑even non‑GAAP operating results for Q4, record employee productivity, and continued double‑digit shipment growth in Managed Solutions.
• Efficiency and AI initiatives contributed meaningful savings and productivity — $24 million annual savings from continuous improvement, $15 million cumulative City Route Optimization savings, and AI projects (e.g., $2.5M truckload benefit, 30+ AI agents) that position the company to scale with lower incremental cost.
• Management reaffirmed its 2028 targets, expects Q1 operating ratio to worsen ~100–200 bps sequentially, plans 2026 net CapEx of $150–170 million, and highlights a strong balance sheet (~$400 million available liquidity) while returning >$86 million to shareholders in 2025.

ArcBest Stock Performance

ArcBest stock opened at $90.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $78.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $74.64. ArcBest has a 1-year low of $55.19 and a 1-year high of $103.14.

ArcBest Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. ArcBest’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.40%.

ArcBest News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting ArcBest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue slightly beat expectations — Q4 revenue of $972.7M topped the ~ $963.7M analyst view, showing resilience in sales versus the prior year decline. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board changes and a quarterly dividend announced — management added two board members and declared a dividend, actions investors often view as shareholder-friendly and supportive of the equity. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call materials and slide deck available — management hosted an earnings call and published slides/press materials that may provide additional color for investors who attended or review the deck. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest report shows anomalous/zero figures for late January — the published data appears inconsistent and unlikely to be a meaningful driver until clarified. (Internal short-interest note)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed and the company swung to a loss — ArcBest reported EPS of -$0.36 versus consensus near $0.43–$0.45, and a net loss from continuing operations of $8.1M, down from profitable results a year earlier; that earnings miss is a clear negative fundamental catalyst. Read More.

Institutional Trading of ArcBest

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of ArcBest by 39.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,749 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in ArcBest during the third quarter worth $439,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in ArcBest by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 520,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $36,394,000 after acquiring an additional 24,102 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of ArcBest by 8.8% in the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 24,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 1,955 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in ArcBest in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,807,000. 99.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of ArcBest from $83.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Stephens set a $85.00 target price on shares of ArcBest in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of ArcBest from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded ArcBest from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of ArcBest in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, ArcBest currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $92.83.

ArcBest Company Profile

ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB) is a transportation and logistics company that offers comprehensive freight and supply chain solutions across North America. Founded in 1923 as Arkansas Best Freight System, the company has evolved into a diversified service provider with both asset-based and asset-light operations. Its core businesses include less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping through ABF Freight, expedited full-truckload services via Panther Premium Logistics, and a range of logistics and supply chain management services under its ArcBest Integrated Logistics division.

The company’s asset-based operations also encompass FleetNet America, a provider of emergency roadside assistance and maintenance services for heavy-duty vehicles.