Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. · KNX · FY2025 Q4 · Calendar Q1 2026

Knight-Swift: Cost cuts improve margins as demand remains soft

The quarter supports a cautiously constructive operating thesis: cost reductions and capacity tightening may help margins, but soft demand and the timing of LTL recovery remain material tests. The evidence is not yet sufficient to treat a broader earnings-growth case as established.

Reported After market closeNYSEIndustrials $10.29B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $0.31 Consensus $0.36
EPS surprise -13.9% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $1.86B Consensus $1.90B
Revenue surprise -2.3% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

event-close to next-session close
Stock move +2.6% Event window
SPY move +0.5% Same window
Abnormal move +2.1% Stock minus SPY
Volume 2.7× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift +3.8% Up to 20 sessions
KNXSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Compared with the prior analysis, the focus shifted from elevated insurance and claims pressure toward sequential truckload margin improvement, while the Abilene integration produced a $52.9 million non-cash impairment. Management also emphasized intensified regulatory enforcement, AI and routing tools, and a gradual 2026 recovery path.

Guidance delta

Maintained: management reiterated Q1 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $0.28-$0.32, pointing to stable conditions and gradual margin recovery.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue declined modestly and GAAP earnings were pressured by a $52.9 million impairment tied to the Abilene integration.
  • Cost-out initiatives reduced variable and fixed expenses and improved truckload margins sequentially.
  • Management sees regulatory enforcement and capacity tightening as potential supports for pricing and margins in 2026.
  • LTL growth priorities include network expansion, unified branding and larger-share bid opportunities.
  • The main counterweight is continued low demand, especially seasonal Q1 weakness, alongside cargo theft and compliance risks.

Management priorities

  • Roll out AI-driven routing and fuel-optimization tools in 2026.
  • Continue cost-out programs across maintenance, fuel, insurance and overhead.
  • Rationalize the network and pace facility expansion deliberately.
  • Unify the LTL brand and improve truckload/LTL demand matching.
  • Expand intermodal partnerships and equipment leasing activities.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
KNX EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 10 reported fiscal quarters and 4 future estimate-only quarters. Q2 '24 estimate $0.27 Q2 '24 actual $0.24, miss Q3 '24 estimate $0.33 Q3 '24 actual $0.34, match Q2 '25 estimate $0.34 Q2 '25 actual $0.35, match Q3 '25 estimate $0.37 Q3 '25 actual $0.32, miss Q4 '25 estimate $0.36 Q4 '25 actual $0.31, miss Q1 '26 estimate $0.09 Q1 '26 actual $0.09, match Q2 '26 estimate $0.51 Q2 '26 actual $0.63, beat Q3 '26 estimate $0.76 Q3 '26 actual $0.83, beat Q4 '26 estimate $0.82 Q1 '27 estimate $0.73 Q2 '27 estimate $1.01 Q3 '27 estimate $1.12
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy35 ratings
Bullish2262.9%
Neutral1234.3%
Bearish12.8%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$63.2Previous close
$35Low
$70.53Average
$91High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted previous close from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 22, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
UBS Buy BuyMaintainOct 13, 2026
Stifel Buy BuyMaintainOct 8, 2026
Citigroup Buy BuyMaintainOct 7, 2026
Wells Fargo Overweight OverweightMaintainOct 6, 2026
JP Morgan Neutral NeutralMaintainOct 5, 2026
Show 30 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted previous close $63.2. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
UBSAnalyst unavailable$82$64.09 +29.7%Oct 13, 2026
UBSAnalyst unavailable$90$64.92 +42.4%Oct 9, 2026
Stifel NicolausBruce Chan$90$63.62 +42.4%Oct 8, 2026
Wells FargoAnalyst unavailable$81$65.24 +28.2%Oct 6, 2026
SusquehannaAnalyst unavailable$85$66.18 +34.5%Oct 2, 2026
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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX) stands as a prominent provider of transportation services, specializing in truckload freight solutions for clients throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Its operational scope is segmented into four key areas: Trucking, Logistics, Less-than-truckload (LTL), and Intermodal. Under its Trucking segment, the company manages a diverse portfolio of services, including irregular route, dedicated, temperature-controlled (refrigerated), flatbed, expedited, dry van, drayage, and cross-border transportation for a wide variety of goods and materials. Beyond its core trucking operations, Knight-Swift provides logistics and intermodal solutions, which include freight brokerage, intermodal services, comprehensive freight management, and various non-trucking offerings.…

Historical context

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-22T08:20:45.156616+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-22T08:20:45.153896+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-22. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.