ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) Issues Earnings Results
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB – Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.26 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $998.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $989.27 million. ArcBest had a return on equity of 6.51% and a net margin of 1.50%.ArcBest’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.51 EPS.
Here are the key takeaways from ArcBest’s conference call:
- Consolidated revenue was $1.0 billion (+3% YoY) but non‑GAAP operating income fell to $13 million and adjusted EPS declined to $0.32 from $0.51 a year ago.
- Asset‑Based operations showed resilience with daily shipments up 2% (nearly 20,000/day) and daily tonnage up 7%, while deferred price increases averaged 6%, supporting improved yield quality.
- Asset‑Light delivered another record quarter (shipments/day +10%, revenue/day +7%) with SG&A per shipment down 15%, producing $3 million in non‑GAAP operating income and strong April momentum.
- Management emphasized tech and AI investments—including the May launch of ArcBest View—and cited roughly $32M (continuous improvement) plus $15M (route optimization) in annualized savings to date.
- Outlook is constructive: management expects ~400–500 basis points sequential improvement in ABF operating ratio in Q2, plans opportunistic buybacks, and noted a strong balance sheet after returning >$10M to shareholders in Q1.
ArcBest Trading Up 1.4%
Shares of NASDAQ:ARCB traded up $1.75 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $128.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 130,049 shares, compared to its average volume of 343,625. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $101.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.02. ArcBest has a fifty-two week low of $55.19 and a fifty-two week high of $130.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.19, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.42.
ArcBest Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. ArcBest’s payout ratio is currently 18.39%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of ArcBest in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of ArcBest in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on ArcBest from $94.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of ArcBest in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on ArcBest from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $99.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ARCB
Key Stories Impacting ArcBest
Here are the key news stories impacting ArcBest this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat consensus — ArcBest reported $0.32 EPS (non‑GAAP), beating estimates around $0.26–$0.27; that upside is the primary catalyst behind the stock reaction. Zacks: ArcBest Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Revenue grew year-over-year to $998.8M, roughly in line with or slightly above some analyst models, supporting the upbeat tone despite margin concerns. Business Wire: ArcBest Q1 Results
- Positive Sentiment: Market reaction coverage noted a share-price rise on the beat, reflecting investor focus on the EPS upside even as revenue/margin commentary drew attention. Investing.com: ArcBest stock rises 3% on earnings beat
- Neutral Sentiment: GAAP vs. non‑GAAP results — ArcBest reported a small GAAP net loss ($1.0M, -$0.05/sh) while citing $7.2M non‑GAAP net income ($0.32/sh). Investors should note the adjustment bridge when assessing underlying performance. Business Wire: ArcBest Q1 Results
- Neutral Sentiment: Corporate actions: ArcBest announced a shareholder vote to reincorporate in Texas (governance/legal relocation) and declared a modest quarterly dividend ($0.12/sh). These are structural items that are unlikely to move fundamentals in the near term. NWA Online: ArcBest shareholders to vote to reincorporate
- Negative Sentiment: Freight-margin pressure and pricing environment — management/comments and previews flagged freight pricing testing margins, which is the main risk to margin expansion and to sustaining the recent EPS strength. MSN: ArcBest tops Q1 forecasts despite freight margin pressure
Institutional Trading of ArcBest
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its position in ArcBest by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 22,995 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,706,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in ArcBest by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 6,345 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in ArcBest by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 60,911 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,519,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of ArcBest by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 21,821 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,680,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury raised its stake in shares of ArcBest by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 10,454 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. 99.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
About ArcBest
ArcBest Corporation (NASDAQ: ARCB) is a transportation and logistics company that offers comprehensive freight and supply chain solutions across North America. Founded in 1923 as Arkansas Best Freight System, the company has evolved into a diversified service provider with both asset-based and asset-light operations. Its core businesses include less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping through ABF Freight, expedited full-truckload services via Panther Premium Logistics, and a range of logistics and supply chain management services under its ArcBest Integrated Logistics division.
The company’s asset-based operations also encompass FleetNet America, a provider of emergency roadside assistance and maintenance services for heavy-duty vehicles.