Universal Logistics (ULH) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Universal Logistics (ULH) reported quarterly earnings of $0.77 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.93 per share, and showing a decline from $0.81 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of -17.20% [1] Financial Performance - The company posted revenues of $465.13 million for the quarter ended December 2024, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.85%, compared to $390.92 million in the same quarter last year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Universal Logistics has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times and topped consensus revenue estimates three times [2] Stock Performance - Universal Truckload shares have declined approximately 5% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 3.1% [3] - The stock's immediate price movement will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call [3] Future Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.04 on revenues of $454.1 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $4.64 on revenues of $1.82 billion [7] - The estimate revisions trend for Universal Truckload is currently favorable, leading to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) for the stock, indicating expected outperformance in the near future [6] Industry Context - The Transportation - Services industry, to which Universal Truckload belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 18% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges ahead [8]