As the Q3 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the ground transportation industry, including Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX) and its peers.

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 14 ground transportation stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.7%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 9.9% since the latest earnings results.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX)

Covering 1.6 billion loaded miles in 2023 alone, Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX) offers less-than-truckload and full truckload delivery services.

Knight-Swift Transportation reported revenues of $1.93 billion, up 2.7% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 12.7% since reporting and currently trades at $41.38.

Read our full report on Knight-Swift Transportation here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ)

Started with a dozen Model T Fords, Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) is a global car rental company providing vehicle rental services to leisure and business travelers.

Hertz reported revenues of $2.48 billion, down 3.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Hertz pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 6.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $5.29.

Is now the time to buy Hertz? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q3: U-Haul (NYSE: UHAL)

Founded by a husband and wife duo, U-Haul (NYSE: UHAL) is a provider of rental trucks and storage facilities.

U-Haul reported revenues of $1.72 billion, up 3.7% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 7.9% since the results and currently trades at $49.19.

Read our full analysis of U-Haul’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 $3.17 billion, flat year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 0.7%. Zooming out, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but EPS guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

Ryder had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is down 10% since reporting and currently trades at $164.48.

Read our full, actionable report on Ryder here, it’s free for active Edge members.

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 $771.5 million, up 3.5% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1%. Zooming out, it was a softer quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 6.7% since reporting and currently trades at $23.68.

Read our full, actionable report on Werner here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

In response to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been gradually trending down from its post-pandemic peak, trending closer to the Fed’s 2% target. Despite higher borrowing costs, the economy has avoided flashing recessionary signals. This is the much-desired soft landing that many investors hoped for. The recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November 2024) have bolstered the stock market, making 2024 a strong year for equities. Donald Trump’s presidential win in November sparked additional market gains, sending indices to record highs in the days following his victory. However, debates continue over possible tariffs and corporate tax adjustments, raising questions about economic stability in 2025.

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