Zacks Research Downgrades XPO (NYSE:XPO) to Hold

XPO (NYSE:XPO) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of XPO from $240.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of XPO from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of XPO from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of XPO in a report on Thursday, September 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $244.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of XPO from $221.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.82.

XPO Stock Down 0.7%

XPO opened at $176.21 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $20.63 billion, a PE ratio of 51.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $192.26 and its 200-day moving average is $202.14. XPO has a one year low of $121.48 and a one year high of $232.05.

XPO (NYSE:XPO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The transportation company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.28 billion. XPO had a return on equity of 29.64% and a net margin of 4.71%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that XPO will post 5.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO David J. Bates sold 2,615 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.41, for a total value of $469,157.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 64,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,614,106.35. This represents a 3.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kyle Wismans sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.52, for a total transaction of $133,890.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 48,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,696,780.32. This represents a 1.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,365 shares of company stock worth $1,612,085. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in XPO in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of XPO during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of XPO by 21.1% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 362 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of XPO by 19.1% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 374 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of XPO by 13.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 421 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.73% of the company’s stock.

XPO Company Profile

XPO, Inc is a transportation and logistics company that provides freight services to businesses in North America and Europe. Its primary business is less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation, which consolidates shipments from multiple customers onto individual trailers. The company serves manufacturers, retailers, distributors and other commercial customers.

XPO’s services include regional, interregional and cross-border LTL transportation, freight pickup and delivery, shipment tracking, and related supply chain solutions.