ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) Issues Earnings Results

ArcBest (NASDAQ:ARCB) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The transportation company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45 by ($0.09), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $972.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $963.74 million. ArcBest had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 2.41%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from ArcBest’s conference call:

• Consolidated results were weaker year?over?year with revenue of $973 million (?3%), non?GAAP operating income from continuing operations of $14 million vs. $41 million last year, and adjusted non?GAAP EPS of $0.36 vs. $1.33 in Q4 2024.
• The Asset?Light business materially improved, achieving break?even non?GAAP operating results for Q4, record employee productivity, and continued double?digit shipment growth in Managed Solutions.
• Efficiency and AI initiatives contributed meaningful savings and productivity — $24 million annual savings from continuous improvement, $15 million cumulative City Route Optimization savings, and AI projects (e.g., $2.5M truckload benefit, 30+ AI agents) that position the company to scale with lower incremental cost.
• Management reaffirmed its 2028 targets, expects Q1 operating ratio to worsen ~100–200 bps sequentially, plans 2026 net CapEx of $150–170 million, and highlights a strong balance sheet (~$400 million available liquidity) while returning >$86 million to shareholders in 2025.

ArcBest Trading Up 5.8%

Shares of ArcBest stock opened at $90.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 1.51. ArcBest has a 52 week low of $55.19 and a 52 week high of $103.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

ArcBest Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. ArcBest’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.40%.

Institutional Trading of ArcBest

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of ArcBest in the second quarter valued at $85,000. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in ArcBest by 146.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 1,786 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in ArcBest by 803.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in ArcBest during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $194,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of ArcBest by 31.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,647 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARCB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of ArcBest from $80.00 to $74.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Stephens set a $85.00 price objective on ArcBest in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group cut their target price on ArcBest from $80.00 to $77.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on ArcBest from $83.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on ArcBest from $85.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ArcBest presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $92.83.

Key ArcBest News

Here are the key news stories impacting ArcBest this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue slightly beat expectations — Q4 revenue of $972.7M topped the ~ $963.7M analyst view, showing resilience in sales versus the prior year decline. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board changes and a quarterly dividend announced — management added two board members and declared a dividend, actions investors often view as shareholder-friendly and supportive of the equity. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call materials and slide deck available — management hosted an earnings call and published slides/press materials that may provide additional color for investors who attended or review the deck. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest report shows anomalous/zero figures for late January — the published data appears inconsistent and unlikely to be a meaningful driver until clarified. (Internal short-interest note)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed and the company swung to a loss — ArcBest reported EPS of -$0.36 versus consensus near $0.43–$0.45, and a net loss from continuing operations of $8.1M, down from profitable results a year earlier; that earnings miss is a clear negative fundamental catalyst. Read More.

ArcBest Company Profile

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.