On June 19, 2023, financial news outlets reported that Natixis had increased its stake in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. by 18.5% during the fourth quarter of the previous year. According to a recently filed Form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Natixis now owns approximately 0.13% of Knight-Swift Transportation’s common stock – equivalent to 206,030 shares – following the acquisition of an additional 32,200 shares during Q4-2022.
At the end of its most recent reporting period, Natixis’ position in Knight-Swift Transportation was valued at $10,784,000, highlighting confidence in the long-term prospects for this leading transportation company despite Wall Street’s perceived headwinds and broader macroeconomic uncertainty.
The news about Natixis comes shortly after Knight-Swift Transportation announced a quarterly dividend payment due to be paid on Tuesday, June 27th. Investors who held shares on Friday, June 9th were eligible to receive a $0.14 dividend payout per share they owned. This translates to an annualized yield of over one percent and emphasizes Knight-Swift Transportation’s commitment to providing value-add returns to its shareholders.
Despite these developments, several equity analysts have mixed views about investing in this transportation firm. In late March of this year, Wolfe Research upgraded Knight-Swift Transportation from “peer perform” rating and set a $65 target price for the stock as conditions began improving across consumer markets post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, some investors are advocating bullish positions on this stock based on revenue and earnings reports that indicate a recovery from last year’s COVID-19-induced economic slowdowns. Bank of America maintained its “buy” rating at a lowered target price of $67 while TD Cowen rated it “outperform” but only gave it an estimated $67 share price.
In a world where new economic headwinds challenge investors to sift through conflicting research reports and analyst opinions, individuals should consider their own investment strategies before jumping in on stock recommendations. However, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.’s steady growth and focus on long-term value propositions make it an excellent addition to investors’ stock portfolio over time.
[bs_slider_forecast ticker=”KNX”]
Institutional Investors Increase Stake in Knight-Swift Transportation Amid Growing Interest in Transportation Industry for Economic Growth
The transportation industry is a vital component in global economic growth and development. The operations of Knight-Swift Transportation, a leading North American trucking company, have been attracting keen interest from institutional investors in recent times. Several notable entities have increased their stake in Knight-Swift Transportation’s stock, with Fifth Third Bancorp, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Intech Investment Management LLC, State of Alaska Department of Revenue and SummerHaven Investment Management LLC adding to their holdings over the past quarter.
Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings by 42.4% during Q4 2022, adding 177 shares to bring its total stake to 594 shares worth $31,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. saw an 8.2% rise in its holding bringing it up to 2,494 shares valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares throughout the same period. Intech Investment Management LLC witnessed an increase of around 2.5%, raising its total holdings to 8,243 shares worth $403,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares late last year.
Additionally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue held an extra 205 shares worth $1,178,000 after receiving a boost of approximately 0.9% during Q4 of the same year under consideration while SummerHaven Investment Management LLC added around another +1.3% making it one of the top institutional investors with 16,016 shares in the company’s stock standing at about $839k.
In further news regarding Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., VP Dustin Ohlman completed the sale of about 1300 shares on April 25th for USD56.10 ($72,930) -the SEC website providing documentation- granting him presently only1457 units in his portfolio (it was taken away from around his other executive colleagues). Timothy Sean Harrington evidenced more exceptional details in his sale of 1700 shares with an average cost of $56.98 per stock for a total value of around $96,866 on May 1st.
The company has also recently declared a quarterly dividend which amounts to USD0.14 and is due to be paid on June 27th. Investors that recorded and purchased the shares on June 9th stand to benefit from this payout resulting in an annualized yield of about 1.02%. During Q1 during this year, insider trading transactions ranged approximately between the value of $4m-5m with insiders currently holding around three percent ownership in any further stocks available in Knight-Swift Transportation’s portfolio.
Trading at $54.97 as of Monday morning, Knight-Swift Transportation’s market capitalization stands at $8.85 billion, while its price-to-earnings ratio is currently at 13.34 with a PEG ratio reaching 1.12 and beta left relatively unperturbed standing at 1.15 amidst other factors from a year-by-year perspective including net margin percentage returning about similar values approximating near nine percent levels while a return on equity (ROE) ranging between ten -eleven percent levels or thereabouts respectively obtained during the preceding financial periods within the last five years; data gathered represents only one quarter from the present instalment fiscal year ending December 31, which analysts have predicted will see EPS figures approximating around USD3.27 per unit released with key business activities monitoring corporate revenues shifting between growth rings yearly reflecting both positive as well as negative moments experiencing ongoing transportation markets.
In conclusion, despite fluctuations observed in various economic sectors especially overviews garnered across wider fiscal periods there has been important insight gained into institutional interest expressed by related investors regarding events associated with US-based Knight-Swift Transportation reflecting how much emphasis major institutional investors put toward building alternative trucking profiles for investment returns concerning portfolios they manage.
