The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) and the rest of the ground transportation stocks fared in Q4.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.

The 16 ground transportation stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 22.1% since the latest earnings results.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX)

Covering 1.6 billion loaded miles in 2023 alone, Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE:KNX) offers less-than-truckload and full truckload delivery services.

Knight-Swift Transportation reported revenues of $1.86 billion, down 3.5% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ sales volume estimates.

The stock is down 24% since reporting and currently trades at $41.80.

Read our full report on Knight-Swift Transportation here, it’s free .

Best Q4: XPO (NYSE:XPO)

Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE:XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.

XPO reported revenues of $1.92 billion, flat year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

It currently trades at $103.03.

Is now the time to buy XPO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free .

Weakest Q4: Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ:CAR)

The parent company of brands such as Zipcar and Budget Truck Rental, Avis (NASDAQ:CAR) is a provider of car rental and mobility solutions.

Avis Budget Group reported revenues of $2.71 billion, down 2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.