The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how ground transportation stocks fared in Q4, starting with Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR).
The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.
The 15 ground transportation stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.
In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.
Weakest Q4: Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR)
The parent company of brands such as Zipcar and Budget Truck Rental, Avis (NASDAQ:CAR) is a provider of car rental and mobility solutions.
Avis Budget Group reported revenues of $2.71 billion, down 2% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
“We took the necessary actions to accelerate our fleet rotation in the Americas segment, which will create more certainty in our fleet costs and better position us for sustainable growth for 2025 and beyond. Travel demand is strong, and our brands are well-positioned to take advantage of this activity,” said Joe Ferraro, Avis Budget Group Chief Executive Officer.
The stock is up 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $96.20.
Read our full report on Avis Budget Group here, it’s free.
Best Q4: XPO (NYSE:XPO)
Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE:XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.
XPO reported revenues of $1.92 billion, flat year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 5.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $144.30.
Is now the time to buy XPO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Werner (NASDAQ:WERN)
Conducting business in over a 100 countries, Werner (NASDAQ:WERN) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal delivery services.
Werner reported revenues of $754.7 million, down 8.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.
Werner delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 1.1% since the results and currently trades at $35.05.
Read our full analysis of Werner’s results here.
Ryder (NYSE:R)
As one of the first companies to introduce the idea of leasing trucks, Ryder (NYSE:R) provides rental vehicles to businesses and delivers packages directly to homes or businesses.
Ryder reported revenues of $3.19 billion, up 5.5% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 1.5%. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also produced a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.
The stock is up 9.5% since reporting and currently trades at $173.29.
Read our full, actionable report on Ryder here, it’s free.
ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB)
Historically owning furniture, banking, and other subsidiaries, ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal deliveries of freight.
ArcBest reported revenues of $1.00 billion, down 8.1% year on year. This number was in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a very strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.
The stock is down 1.1% since reporting and currently trades at $93.30.
Read our full, actionable report on ArcBest here, it’s free.
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