Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) Stock Rating Lowered by Robert W. Baird

Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) was downgraded by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $204.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $166.00. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 0.76% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on ODFL. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Old Dominion Freight Line from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $172.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $196.00 target price (up from $170.00) on shares of Old Dominion Freight Line in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Old Dominion Freight Line from $145.00 to $138.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Old Dominion Freight Line in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. They set a “sell” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Old Dominion Freight Line from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $181.50.

Old Dominion Freight Line Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ ODFL opened at $202.47 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $151.77. Old Dominion Freight Line has a twelve month low of $126.01 and a twelve month high of $209.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.92, a P/E/G ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 1.28.

Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ:ODFL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The transportation company reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.30 billion. Old Dominion Freight Line had a return on equity of 24.03% and a net margin of 18.62%.Old Dominion Freight Line’s revenue was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Old Dominion Freight Line will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Old Dominion Freight Line

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Associated Banc Corp increased its stake in Old Dominion Freight Line by 141.1% in the 4th quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 125,788 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $19,724,000 after purchasing an additional 73,606 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,853 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. now owns 549,239 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $86,121,000 after purchasing an additional 143,984 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its stake in shares of Old Dominion Freight Line by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,914 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 744 shares during the period. Finally, Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in Old Dominion Freight Line by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 421,650 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $66,115,000 after buying an additional 62,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.82% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Old Dominion Freight Line

Here are the key news stories impacting Old Dominion Freight Line this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results modestly beat expectations (EPS $1.09 vs. $1.06) and management set cautious Q1 revenue guidance ($1.25B–$1.30B), signaling the freight market may be stabilizing — investors viewed this as the start of a recovery. Old Dominion Freight Line: Already Trading On A Strong Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised estimates/price targets after the quarter and called out the beat — the aggregate analyst activity (raises from Jefferies, Evercore, TD Cowen and others) supported upside momentum. Analysts Boost Their Forecasts After Better-Than-Expected Q4 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: A large, high-profile price-target upgrade (reported coverage on the Morgan Stanley move) produced an outsized intraday jump earlier in the week, amplifying follow-through buying. Old Dominion Climbs 9.89% as Morgan Stanley Hikes PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary and management commentary point to early signs of improvement — “freight market starting to feel a little bit better” — but language remains cautious and recovery is described as early/still uneven. Old Dominion: Freight market ‘starting to feel a little bit better’
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity: Citi reaffirmed neutral with a $216 PT while other shops moved ratings/targets (some to “hold”/“in-line”) — this broad but mixed analyst reaction keeps sentiment balanced rather than uniformly bullish. Citi Reaffirms Neutral
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 5.7% Y/Y and LTL tons per day fell ~10.7% — volume weakness remains the primary headwind and a key reason some analysts trimmed ratings or kept conservative targets. Analyst note on volume declines
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side moves are negative: Robert W. Baird downgraded to underperform and other firms (Wells Fargo, JPMorgan in context) left targets below the current share price, creating downside risk if volume recovery stalls. Baird Downgrades Old Dominion
• Negative Sentiment: Regional economic commentary (Old Dominion University forecast) points to slowing local growth, a modest macro risk for freight demand if softening extends. Old Dominion University Economic Forecast

Old Dominion Freight Line Company Profile

Old Dominion Freight Line is a U.S.-based less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation company that provides regional, inter-regional and national freight services. Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, the company has grown from a regional carrier into a national freight network, operating a broad system of service centers and terminals to move shipments for shippers of varying sizes and industries.

The company’s core business is LTL trucking, offering scheduled pickup and delivery for palletized freight that does not require a full truckload.