Knight-Swift (KNX) Q3 Earnings & Revenues Surpass Estimates
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX) third-quarter 2023 earnings per share (EPS) of 41 cents surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents but declined 67.7% year over year. Total revenues of $2,019.9 million also outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,915.4 million and improved 6.5% year over year.
Total operating expenses (on a reported basis) increased 18.8% year over year to $1.94 billion.
Knight-Swift’s adjusted operating income fell 60.8% year over year.
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. Quote
Segmental Results
Revenues (excluding fuel surcharge and inter-segment transactions) from Truckload totaled $1,179.97 million, up 21.9% year over year. Adjusted segmental operating income plunged 65.8% to $60.15 million. Adjusted operating ratio (operating expenses as a percentage of revenues) grew 1310 basis points (bps) to 94.9%.
The Less-Than-Truckload segment generated revenues (excluding fuel surcharges) worth $239.98 million in the third quarter, up 6.9% year over year. Adjusted segmental operating income grew 3.7% to $36.19 million. Adjusted operating ratio increased 40 bps to 84.9%.
Revenues from Logistics (excluding inter-segment transactions) amounted to $158.6 million, down 24.5% year over year. Adjusted operating income decreased 61.5% to $10.6 million. The adjusted operating ratio rose 650 bps to 93.3%.
Intermodal revenues (excluding inter-segment transactions) totaled $101.21 million, down 22.6% year over year. The operating ratio (on a reported basis) soared to 104.5% from 90.2% in the year-ago quarter.
Liquidity
Knight-Swift exited the third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $193.37 million compared with $229 million at the end of the prior quarter. Long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $1.26 billion was flat sequentially.
Updated 2023 Guidance
For the ongoing year, Knight-Swift expects adjusted EPS in the range of $2.10-$2.20 (earlier view: $2.10-$2.30). KNX continues to expect net cash capital expenditures for 2023 between $700 and $750 million.
The tax rate is expected to be around 26% for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Currently, KNX carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Performances of Other Transportation Companies
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.’s JBHT third-quarter 2023 EPS of $1.80 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.85 and declined 30% year over year.
JBHT’s total operating revenues of $3,163.8 million also lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3,224 million and fell 18% year over year. Total operating revenues, excluding fuel surcharges, decreased 15% year over year.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) reported third-quarter 2023 EPS (excluding 31 cents from non-recurring items) of $2.03, which comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.92 and improved 35% on a year-over-year basis.
DAL’s revenues of $15,488 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $15,290.4 million and increased 11% on a year-over-year basis, driven by higher air-travel demand.
Alaska Air Group, Inc. ALK reported third-quarter 2023 EPS of $1.83 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.88 and declined 28% year over year.
Operating revenues of $2,839 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,876.1 million. The top line jumped 0.4% year over year, with passenger revenues accounting for 92.2% of the top line and increasing 0.1% owing to continued recovery in air-travel demand.
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