Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) Stock Price

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Stephens from $65.00 to $63.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stephens’ price objective points to a potential upside of 10.62% from the stock’s previous close.

KNX has been the subject of several other reports. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Knight-Swift Transportation from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research raised shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $43.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Knight-Swift Transportation from $50.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.00.

Knight-Swift Transportation Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of Knight-Swift Transportation stock opened at $56.95 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Knight-Swift Transportation has a twelve month low of $36.69 and a twelve month high of $59.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a PE ratio of 138.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $51.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.41.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The transportation company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.05). Knight-Swift Transportation had a return on equity of 2.88% and a net margin of 0.88%.The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. Knight-Swift Transportation’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Knight-Swift Transportation has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.280-0.320 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Knight-Swift Transportation will post 2.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Knight-Swift Transportation

In related news, CAO Cary M. Flanagan sold 4,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.04, for a total transaction of $193,672.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $254,205.76. This represents a 43.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Kevin P. Knight sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.01, for a total value of $1,785,350.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 1,405,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,686,750.47. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 43,992 shares of company stock worth $2,220,707 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Knight-Swift Transportation

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation by 1,478.6% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 884 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation by 7,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 936 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 923 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Knight-Swift Transportation by 111.3% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 936 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Knight-Swift Transportation by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 956 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Knight-Swift Transportation in the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.77% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Knight-Swift Transportation

Here are the key news stories impacting Knight-Swift Transportation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price‑target raise — Benchmark raised its price target to $65 and kept a “buy” rating, signaling upside potential if KNX’s rate leverage and cost initiatives materialize. Benchmark raises PT to $65
• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its target to $60 (still a neutral rating) — another signal that some sell‑side firms see upside as freight market tightness could return. Susquehanna raises PT to $60
• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary: Knight‑Swift says it’s “feeling a bit better about our ability to push rates” into 2026 — this suggests pricing power could improve, supporting margin recovery if demand stabilizes. Knight‑Swift ‘feeling a bit better about our ability to push rates’ in ‘26
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves — UBS raised its target to $54 but keeps a “neutral” rating (target still below current price), and Stifel trimmed its target modestly while keeping a buy stance. These adjustments show differing views on near‑term demand vs. longer‑term earnings power. Analyst coverage updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings‑call tone: company highlighted cost wins and initiatives but offered a cautious outlook for market timing — this is constructive for margins but keeps short‑term visibility limited. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed estimates — KNX reported $0.31 EPS vs. consensus ~$0.36 and revenue below expectations; margin pressure from rising costs and softer demand dented results. Q4 earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 EPS guidance set to $0.28–$0.32, roughly in line with or slightly below consensus — the guidance and near‑term uncertainty in volume/claims contributed to the sell‑off. Q1 guidance & sales miss

Knight-Swift Transportation Company Profile

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc (NYSE: KNX) is one of North America’s largest asset-based truckload carriers, offering a wide range of transportation and logistics services. The company was formed in 2017 through the merger of Knight Transportation and Swift Transportation, each with decades of experience in long-haul dry van and refrigerated freight. Since the merger, Knight-Swift has pursued a growth strategy that includes fleet expansions, targeted acquisitions, and investments in technology to enhance service reliability and network efficiency.

The company’s core business activities include full truckload operations for dry van, temperature-controlled and flatbed shipments.