ODFL's Q4 Earnings Coming Up: What's in the Offing for the Stock?

Old Dominion Freight Line ODFL is scheduled to report fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 5, before market open.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ODFL’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings per share has been revised downward by 0.9% in the past 60 days to $1.17 per share. However, the consensus mark implies a 20.4% decline from the year-ago actuals. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ODFL’s fourth-quarter 2024 revenues is pegged at $1.38 billion, indicating a 7.7% decrease year over year.

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Quote

ODFL has an impressive earnings surprise history. It surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the preceding four quarters and met once, the average beat being 1.4%.

Let’s see how things have shaped up for ODFL this earnings season.

Factors Likely to Have Influenced ODFL’s Q4 Performance

The top-line performance in the fourth quarter is expected to have suffered from geopolitical uncertainty and high inflationary pressure.

The freight market downturn is expected to have significantly impacted the company’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter, as the decline in demand for freight services is likely to have reduced shipments and rates, impacting the company’s top line. Moreover, per our model, we expect revenues from LTL Services to be $1.38 billion and other Services to be $13.2 million, which indicates a decline of 7.1% and 6%, respectively, from the fourth-quarter 2023 actuals. Low fuel costs might aid December quarter bottom-line results.

What Our Model Says About ODFL

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for ODFL this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here.

ODFL has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

ODFL’s Q3 Highlights

Old Dominion Freight Line’s third-quarter 2024 earnings per share of $1.43 was in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but decreased 7.1% year over year. Revenues of $1.47 billion fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.51 billion and dropped 3% year over year. A 4.8% decrease in less-than-truckload tons per day hurt results.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors might want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat fourth-quarter 2024 earnings.

Allegiant ALGT has an Earnings ESP of +10.23% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. ALGT is set to release fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 4.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ALGT has an encouraging earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the preceding four quarters and missing once. The average beat is 57.4%.

Expeditors International of Washington EXPD has an Earnings ESP of +6.54% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. EXPD is slated to release fourth-quarter 2024 results on Feb. 18. 

EXPD has an encouraging earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the preceding four quarters and missing once. The average beat is 4.8%.

7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."

Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.3% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. 

See them now >>

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

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

More Related Articles

Info icon

This data feed is not available at this time.

Data is currently not available

Sign up for the TradeTalks newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trading news, trends and education. Delivered Wednesdays.