Landstar Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Decrease Year Over Year

Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR) fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.36 and fell 19.1% year over year. The reported figure quarter lies within the guided range of $1.25-$1.45 per shareFind the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.Revenues of $1.21 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.19 billion and increased 0.4% year over year. The reported figure lies within the guided range of $1.150-$1.250 billion.Landstar’s president and chief executive officer, Frank Lonegro, stated, “I was encouraged to see year-over-year quarterly revenue growth for the first time since the 2022 third quarter. The year-over-year revenue growth was achieved via a sequential increase in overall truck pricing as compared to the 2024 third quarter and a strong revenue performance specific to our unsided/platform service offering. We look to build on this revenue per load momentum as we begin the 2025 fiscal year. Our network of Landstar BCOs, agents and employees are optimistic for an improved freight transportation environment and will continue to strive each day to improve our safety performance and deliver great service to our customers.”Operating income fell 22.5% to $57.77 million from the prior-year quarter’s figure. Total costs and expenses (on a reported basis) increased 1.9% to $1.15 billion.Landstar System, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Landstar System, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Landstar System, Inc. QuoteLSTR’s Segmental DetailsTotal revenues in the truck transportation segment — contributing to 89.8% of the top line — amounted to $1.08 billion, down 0.4% from the year-ago quarter’s figure. The reported figure was below our expectations of $1.09 billion.Rail intermodal revenues of $18.34 million decreased 24.6% from the figure recorded in fourth-quarter 2023. The reported figure was below our expectations of $21.1 million.Revenues in the ocean and air-cargo carrier segments improved 37.1% year over year to $88.17 million. The reported figure was above our expectations of $59.1 million.Other revenues decreased 28.4% year over year to $22 million, which was below our expectations of $28.5 million.Liquidity, Dividends & BuybackAt the end of fourth-quarter 2024, Landstar had cash and cash equivalents of $515.01 million compared with $468.83 million recorded at the prior-quarter end. Additionally, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) totaled $69.19 million at the end of the fourth quarter compared with $44.83 million at the prior-quarter end.During 2024, Landstar purchased almost 452,000 shares for $82.1 million and paid $120.5 million in the form of cash dividends. LSTR is currently authorized to purchase up to an additional 2,547,981 shares under its longstanding share purchase program.  Landstar’s board of directorsdeclared a quarterly cash dividend of 36 cents per share, payable on March 11, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 18, 2025.LSTR’s First-Quarter 2025 GuidanceLSTR expects first-quarter revenues in the range of $1.075-$1.175 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.21 billion.LSTR expects fourth-quarter 2024 truckloads to decline in the range of 2-7% on a year-over-year basis. Truck revenue per load is expected to be down 2% to up 3% on a year-over-year basis.EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.05-$1.25 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.35.Effective income tax rate is expected to be 24.5%.LSTR’s Zacks RankCurrently, Landstar carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Q4 Performances of Other Transportation CompaniesDelta Air Lines DAL reported fourth-quarter 2024 earnings (excluding 56 cents from non-recurring items) of $1.85 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.76. Earnings increased 44.5% on a year-over-year basis due to low fuel costs.DAL’srevenues of $15.56 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.99 billion and increased 9.4% on a year-over-year basis, driven by strong holiday travel demand. Adjusted operating revenues (excluding third-party refinery sales) totaled $14.44 billion, up 5.7% year over year. Passenger revenues, which accounted for 82.4% of total revenues, increased 5% year over year at $12.82 billion.J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) reported fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share of $1.53, which fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.62. However, the bottom line increased 4.1% on a year-over-year basis.  JBHT’s total operating revenues of $3.15 billion narrowly beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 billion but declined 4.8% year over year. The decline was mainly due to lower fuel surcharge revenues and yield pressure in its Intermodal segment.JBHT’s fourth-quarter 2024 operating revenues of $2.78 billion, excluding fuel surcharge revenue, decreased 2% from the year-ago reported quarter. Total operating income for the reported quarter increased 2% year over year to $207 million.Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK) reported solid fourth-quarter 2024results, wherein both earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Quarterly earnings per share of 97 cents outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 47 cents and improved more than 100% on a year-over-year basis. The reported figure exceeded the guided range of 40-50 cents.ALK’s bottom line benefitted from solid revenue growth, cost and operational performance throughout the quarter and holiday travel periods. ALK also benefitted from a renegotiation of certain interest payments and favorability in its fourth-quarter tax rate.ALK’s operating revenues of $3.53 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.51 billion. The top line jumped 38.4% year over year, with passenger revenues accounting for 89.9% of the top line and increasing 37% owing to continued recovery in air-travel demand.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): Free Stock Analysis Report J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT): Free Stock Analysis Report Alaska Air Group, Inc. (ALK): Free Stock Analysis Report Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks