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USA Truck (USAK) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

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USA Truck closed at $14.21 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.56% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.16%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the truckload carrier had gained 5.15% over the past month. This has outpaced the Transportation sector's loss of 1.79% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.46% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from USAK as it approaches its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.51, up 75.86% from the prior-year quarter.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for USAK. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 2.33% lower. USAK is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that USAK has a Forward P/E ratio of 6.8 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 16.17.

The Transportation - Truck industry is part of the Transportation sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 38, putting it in the top 15% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow USAK in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

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