Knight-Swift Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Truckload Margin Gains

KNX’s Consolidated Profitability Improves

Revenues, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge, increased 5.5% year over year to $1.76 billion. Operating income rose 44.4% to $104.85 million, while adjusted operating income advanced 45.5% to $150.95 million.

The consolidated operating ratio improved 110 basis points to 95.0%. The adjusted operating ratio improved 240 basis points to 91.4%, reflecting better pricing and network efficiency across the asset-based businesses. Adjusted net income climbed 79.7% to $102.75 million.

Knight-Swift’s Truckload Engine Accelerates

Truckload revenues, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, increased 2.8% year over year to $1.10 billion. The gain came despite a 2.6% decline in loaded miles, as tighter driver availability pressured the seated tractor count.

Adjusted operating income surged 69.4% to $98.92 million. The adjusted operating ratio improved 360 basis points to 91.0%, helped by pricing gains and a 140-basis-point reduction in empty miles. U.S. Xpress’ over-the-road division achieved its first profitable quarter since the acquisition.

KNX’s LTL Mix Supports Margin Recovery

Less-than-truckload (LTL) revenues, excluding fuel surcharge, declined 1.4% to $333.01 million as shipments per day fell 3.7%. However, daily tonnage increased 4.0%, weight per shipment rose 7.9% and length of haul expanded 5.3%.

Revenue per shipment, excluding fuel surcharge, grew 3.4%, while revenue per hundredweight fell 4.2% because of heavier shipments. Adjusted operating income increased 13.3% to $26.45 million, and the adjusted operating ratio improved 100 basis points to 92.1%.

Knight-Swift’s Logistics and Intermodal Diverge

Logistics revenues rose 8.9% to $139.70 million, driven by a 29.6% increase in revenue per load, partly offset by a 16.4% drop in load count. Gross margin contracted 350 basis points to 15.4% as purchased transportation costs increased faster than customer pricing. Adjusted operating income declined 25.7%.

Intermodal revenues jumped 34.9% to $113.39 million. Load count increased 19.6% and revenue per load rose 12.8%, helping the segment post operating income of $0.65 million versus a $3.43 million loss a year earlier. Its operating ratio improved 470 basis points to 99.4%.

KNX’s Other Businesses Face Special Charges

All Other Segments’ revenues increased 41.8% year over year to $105.56 million, supported by growth in warehousing and trailer leasing. These businesses generated an additional $7 million of income contribution compared with the prior-year quarter.

The segment recorded an operating loss of $10.43 million against an operating income of $6.75 million a year earlier. Results included $5.8 million of accounts receivable securitization costs and an $18.2 million severance charge primarily tied to the former executive chairman’s retirement.

Knight-Swift’s Liquidity and Capital Spending

Knight-Swift ended June with $186.11 million in cash and cash equivalents. In the year-to-date period, operating cash flow was $450.36 million, while free cash flow totaled $190.44 million after $259.92 million of net capital expenditures.

The company issued $1.50 billion of 1% convertible notes and used proceeds to repay floating-rate borrowings. Management expects the refinancing to generate roughly $44 million of annual pretax savings. Full-year net cash capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $600-$650 million.

KNX’s Q3 Outlook Points Higher

KNX expects third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 71-77 cents per share. Truckload revenues, excluding fuel surcharge, are projected to rise by a mid-single-digit percentage, with the adjusted operating ratio improving 650-750 basis points year over year.

LTL revenues, excluding fuel surcharge, are expected to grow by a low-single-digit percentage, with the adjusted operating ratio in the low 90s. Logistics performance is expected to remain fairly stable sequentially, while intermodal revenues are projected to increase by a low-single-digit percentage from the second quarter.

Currently, KNX sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Q2 Performances of Other Transportation Companies

Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings (excluding 88 cents from non-recurring items) of $1.56 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.51. Earnings declined in double digits (% wise) from a year ago as sharply higher fuel costs pressured profitability.

Revenues rose on a year-over-year basis to $17.67 billion but missed the consensus estimate of $17.76 billion. Broad demand strength lifted adjusted total revenue per available seat mile, or TRASM, 12.4%, while premium and diversified revenue streams continued to expand.

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.99 per share, down 48.6% year over year but above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.92 by 3.7%.

Operating revenues rose 16% to $17.67 billion and were essentially in line with the $17.68-billion consensus mark. A 12.1% increase in total revenue per available seat mile, or TRASM, and broad-based gains across premium, loyalty and cargo revenues supported the top line despite sharply higher fuel costs.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $1.91 per share, up 45.8% from $1.31 a year ago. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71 by 11.7%.

Operating revenues climbed 19.4% year over year to $3.50 billion and surpassed the consensus mark of $3.19 billion by 9.5%. Higher volumes and pricing across several businesses supported growth, led by a 10% increase in Intermodal loads.

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