This story was originally published on Trucking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Trucking Dive newsletter. CRST’s plan to redeploy a portion of its Capacity Solutions OTR fleet will lead to hundreds of job cuts and a reduction of its fleet by 200 trucks, the carrier announced on Dec. 4.  “This decision is intended to strengthen our ability to serve customers through the solutions that drive the most value, reliability and long-term stability,” the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-bas ...

Company Overview - Hub Group, Inc. is a small-cap player in the intermodal freight and logistics industry, providing a wide range of transportation and logistics services across North America, including intermodal, truckload, LTL, dedicated, and international transport, as well as warehousing and fulfillment solutions [2] - As of December 1st, Hub Group's share was trading at $39.43, with trailing and forward P/E ratios of 22.17 and 18.02 respectively [1] Financial Performance - Hub Group's financial performance has been underwhelming compared to benchmarks, with a trailing five-year annualized revenue growth in the low single digits, significantly below the S&P 500's +16% [3] - The most recent twelve-month revenue fell by 5.4%, while the market experienced an +18.8% growth [3] - Profitability has lagged, with low gross margins leading to modest net profit margins, far below the S&P 500 median of +23.2% [3] Capital Efficiency - Return on equity and return on invested capital (ROIC) have not met QVI's thresholds and peer medians, with ROIC failing to exceed the company's cost of capital, indicating inefficiencies in capital deployment [4] - A $250 million share repurchase program was announced in late 2023, but only a small fraction has been executed, limiting its impact on shareholder returns [4] Earnings Growth - Owners' earnings, defined as EPS and dividend growth or free cash flow growth, have remained stagnant in the low single digits over the past five years [5] Market Position - Hub Group is the second-largest intermodal marketing company in the industry, behind JB Hunt, and holds a narrow moat according to Morningstar [2] - At the end of the second quarter, 27 hedge fund portfolios held HUBG, an increase from 22 in the previous quarter, indicating some interest from institutional investors [7]

Core Insights - J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. is a leading player in the U.S. transportation and logistics sector, offering services such as intermodal, dedicated, and truckload transportation [1] Financial Performance - J.B. Hunt reported earnings per share of $1.76, surpassing market expectations, with total sales of $3.1 billion [3][6] - The company's stock price is currently at $138.83, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.54, or approximately -0.39% [4][6] Market Analysis - Barclays has set a new price target of $150 for J.B. Hunt, indicating a potential increase of about 8.05% from the current stock price [2][6] - The stock has experienced volatility over the past year, trading between a high of $200.40 and a low of $122.79 [4][6] - J.B. Hunt's market capitalization is approximately $13.44 billion, with a trading volume of 2,139,268 shares on the NASDAQ exchange, indicating strong investor interest [5]

Core Viewpoint - Analysts project JB Hunt (JBHT) will report quarterly earnings of $1.48 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 0.7%, with revenues expected to reach $3.02 billion, down 1.4% from the same quarter last year [1]. Earnings Estimates - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised downward by 1.4% in the past 30 days, indicating a reassessment by covering analysts [2]. - Prior revisions to earnings projections are crucial for predicting investor behavior regarding the stock, as empirical studies show a strong correlation between earnings estimate trends and short-term stock performance [3]. Revenue Projections - Analysts estimate 'Revenue- Truckload' will be $174.68 million, a change of +0.8% year over year [5]. - 'Revenue- Dedicated' is forecasted to reach $858.25 million, indicating a +1.5% change from the prior year [5]. - 'Revenue- Final Mile Services' is expected to be $207.83 million, reflecting a -4.8% change year over year [5]. - 'Revenue- Integrated Capacity Solutions' is projected at $270.83 million, down 2.6% from the previous year [6]. Operational Metrics - The consensus estimate for 'Dedicated - Average trucks during the period' is 12,700, slightly down from 12,800 a year ago [6]. - 'Integrated Capacity Solutions - Revenue per load' is expected to be $1941.63, up from $1882.00 in the same quarter last year [7]. - 'Intermodal - Revenue per load' is projected at $2788.87, down from $2841.00 in the same quarter of the previous year [7]. - 'Intermodal - Trailing equipment (end of period)' is estimated at 125,796, compared to 121,477 a year ago [8]. - 'Final Mile Services - Average trucks during the period' is expected to be 1,317, down from 1,334 in the same quarter last year [8]. Load Estimates - 'Integrated Capacity Solutions - Loads' is projected at 139,186, down from 147,805 a year ago [9]. - 'Intermodal - Loads' is expected to be 539,821, compared to 547,988 in the same quarter last year [9]. - 'Truckload - Loads' is estimated at 100,928, slightly up from 100,896 a year ago [9]. Stock Performance - JB Hunt shares have increased by +0.8% in the past month, while the Zacks S&P 500 composite has risen by +3.5% [11]. - With a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), JBHT is expected to underperform the overall market in the near term [11].

Core Viewpoint - JB Hunt (JBHT) is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.34 per share, a 1.5% increase year-over-year, with revenues forecasted at $2.96 billion, reflecting a 1.1% year-over-year increase [1]. Earnings Estimates - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised downward by 0.7% over the past 30 days, indicating a collective reassessment by analysts [2]. - Changes in earnings estimates are crucial for predicting investor reactions, as empirical studies show a strong correlation between earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock performance [3]. Revenue Projections - Analysts project 'Revenue- Truckload' at $163.94 million, indicating a year-over-year decrease of 2.5% [4]. - 'Revenue- Dedicated' is expected to reach $849.27 million, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.2% from the previous year [5]. - 'Revenue- Final Mile Services' is estimated at $219.08 million, showing a year-over-year decline of 6.9% [5]. - 'Revenue- Integrated Capacity Solutions' is forecasted to be $272.18 million, indicating a 0.7% increase from the prior year [5]. Key Metrics - The consensus for 'Dedicated - Average trucks during the period' is 12,624, down from 13,142 year-over-year [6]. - 'Integrated Capacity Solutions - Revenue per load' is projected at $1,949.26, compared to $1,860.00 last year [6]. - 'Intermodal - Revenue per load' is expected to be $2,797.39, down from $2,829.00 year-over-year [6]. - 'Intermodal - Trailing equipment (end of period)' is estimated at 125,792, up from 121,169 last year [7]. - 'Final Mile Services - Average trucks during the period' is projected at 1,347, down from 1,374 year-over-year [7]. Load Estimates - 'Integrated Capacity Solutions - Loads' is expected to be 140,866, down from 145,362 last year [8]. - 'Intermodal - Loads' is forecasted at 523,353, an increase from 497,446 in the same quarter last year [8]. - 'Truckload - Loads' is projected to reach 94,663, up from 92,628 year-over-year [8]. Stock Performance - Over the past month, JB Hunt shares have returned +8.4%, outperforming the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.4% change [9]. - JBHT holds a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating a likely underperformance compared to the overall market in the upcoming period [9].