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Why Is Old Dominion (ODFL) Down 1% Since Last Earnings Report?

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 1% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Old Dominion due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Earnings Beat at Old Dominion in Q4

Old Dominion Freight Line’s earnings per share of $2.41 outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17 cents. The bottom line surged 49.7% year over year. Revenues of $1410.4 million also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,372.5 million and increased 31.4% year over year. The uptick was backed by a 14.3% increase in LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) tons per day and a 16.1% rise in LTL revenue per hundredweight.

Other Details

In the quarter under review, LTL weight per shipment fell 2.7%, while LTL revenue per shipment rose 12.9%. LTL shipments and LTL shipments per day were up 15.6% and 17.5% year over year, respectively.

Old Dominion’s major revenue-generating segment LTL services logged a total of $1,389.8 million, up 31.4% year over year. Revenues from other services rallied 33% to $20.6 million.

Total operating expenses moved up 26.7% to $1,037.9 million, mainly due to a 21.6% rise in costs pertaining to salaries, wages & benefits, a 59.3% increase in operating supplies and expenses as well as a 68.2% surge in purchased transportation costs. Operating ratio improved 270 basis points to 73.6%.

Old Dominion exited the quarter with cash and cash equivalents worth $462.56 million compared with $401.43 million at the end of 2020. Capital expenditures incurred in the reported quarter were $165.4 million. Old Dominion expects a capex of $825 million for 2022.

During the fourth quarter, Old Dominion paid out dividends worth $23 million to its shareholders. The trucking company did not utilize cash for share buybacks during the final quarter of 2021, although the $250-million accelerated share repurchase program inked in August, 2021, remains active.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?

In the past month, investors have witnessed an upward trend in estimates review.

The consensus estimate has shifted 6.99% due to these changes.

VGM Scores

At this time, Old Dominion has a great Growth Score of A, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a B. However, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for this investment strategy.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook

Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Old Dominion has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.


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