Looking back on ground transportation stocks’ Q1 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including RXO (NYSE: RXO) 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 16 ground transportation stocks we track reported a slower Q1. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.2%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 5.4% on average since the latest earnings results.

RXO (NYSE: RXO)

With access to millions of trucks, RXO (NYSE: RXO) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and last-mile deliveries.

RXO reported revenues of $1.43 billion, up 57% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.

“Our technology team has been working diligently to integrate the best features of the legacy Coyote technology platform into RXO Connect. Today, I’m pleased to announce a critical integration milestone – carrier and coverage operations are now happening in one system, which will enable us to leverage our scale and realize future cost-of-purchased-transportation synergies,” said Drew Wilkerson, chief executive officer of RXO.

RXO pulled off the fastest revenue growth of the whole group. The stock is up 16.7% since reporting and currently trades at $16.03.

Read our full report on RXO here, it’s free.

Best Q1: Schneider (NYSE: SNDR)

Employing thousands of drivers across the country to make deliveries, Schneider (NYSE: SNDR) makes full truckload and intermodal deliveries regionally and across borders.

Schneider reported revenues of $1.40 billion, up 6.3% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 12.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $24.10.

Is now the time to buy Schneider? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD)

Founded by the son of a trucker, Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD) offers full-truckload deliveries across the United States and Mexico.

Heartland Express reported revenues of $219.4 million, down 18.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 10.5% since the results and currently trades at $8.66.

Read our full analysis of Heartland Express’s results here.

Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ: ODFL)

With its name deriving from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s nickname, Old Dominion (NASDAQ: ODFL) delivers less-than-truckload (LTL) and full-container load freight.

Old Dominion Freight Line reported revenues of $1.37 billion, down 5.8% year on year. This number met analysts’ expectations. It was a strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 5.8% since reporting and currently trades at $161.06.

Read our full, actionable report on Old Dominion Freight Line here, it’s free.

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 $1.95 billion, down 3.2% year on year. This print missed analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Taking a step back, it was still a strong quarter as it recorded a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 21.6% since reporting and currently trades at $118.47.

Read our full, actionable report on XPO here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been on a steady path downward, easing back toward that 2% sweet spot. Fortunately (miraculously to some), all this tightening didn’t send the economy tumbling into a recession, so here we are, cautiously celebrating a soft landing. The cherry on top? Recent rate cuts (half a point in September 2024, a quarter in November) have propped up markets, especially after Trump’s November win lit a fire under major indices and sent them to all-time highs. However, there’s still plenty to ponder — tariffs, corporate tax cuts, and what 2025 might hold for the economy.

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