Schneider National, Inc. SNDR reported first-quarter 2026 results, wherein the company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but revenues missed the same.
Quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of 12 cents beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.1% and declined 25% from the year-ago reported quarter figure. Operating revenues of $1.40 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.41 billion but remained flat on a year-over-year basis.
Schneider National, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Schneider National, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Schneider National, Inc. Quote
Income from operations (adjusted) fell 20.7% from the prior-year quarter’s level to $33.4 million.
SNDR’s Q1 Segmental Highlights
Truckload revenues (excluding fuel surcharge) for the first quarter of 2026 totaled $618 million, up 1% year over year, owing to improved Network productivity and an increase in price for both Network and Dedicated, partially offset by lower Dedicated volume. Truckload revenues per truck per week were $4,051 (up 2% year over year).
Truckload income from operations totaled $20.2 million in the first quarter of 2026, down 20% year over year, owing to higher maintenance costs, lower gains on sale of assets and increased fuel expense, partially offset by improved productivity within Network and price. Truckload operating ratio improved to 96.7% in the first quarter of 2026 from 95.9% in the first quarter of 2025.
Intermodal revenues (excluding fuel surcharge) for the first quarter of 2026 came in at $253.5 million, down 3% year over year. The decline was due to a 4% decrease in revenues per order, reflecting a shorter length of haul, partially offset by an increase in volume.
Intermodal income from operations for the first quarter of 2026 was $10.9 million, down 21% year over year. The decrease was due to lower revenues per order and higher maintenance costs, partially offset by volume growth and reduced purchased transportation, salaries and wages related to headcount actions and equipment costs. Intermodal operating ratio fell to 95.7% from 94.7% in the first quarter of 2025.
Logistics revenues (excluding fuel surcharge) for the first quarter of 2026 came in at $312.3 million, down 6% year over year, owing to lower brokerage volume, partially offset by higher revenues per order.
Logistics income from operations for the first quarter of 2026 was $6.5 million, down 20% year over year, due to lower brokerage volume, partially offset by higher net revenues per order and lower salaries and wages resulting from headcount actions. Logistics operating ratio rose to 97.9% in the first quarter of 2026 from 97.6% in the first quarter of 2025.
Liquidity & Cash Flow
Schneider National exited the first-quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $227.8 million compared with $201.5 million at the end of the prior quarter. Long-term debt was $388.1 million at the end of the reported quarter compared with $390.9 million at the end of the prior-quarter.
SNDR generated $92.9 million of cash from operations in the reported quarter. Net capital expenditures were $44.8 million.
In January 2026, the company announced the approval of a new $150.0 million share repurchase program. As of March 31, 2026, the company had repurchased a total of 0.2 million Class B shares amounting to $5.2 million under the new program.
On Jan. 26, 2026, SNDR’s board of directors declared a dividend hike of 5%, raising its quarterly cash dividend to 10 cents per share from 9.5 cents. The raised dividend (payable to shareholders of record as of March 13, 2026) is expected to be paid on April 8, 2026. As of March 31, 2026, the company had returned $17.1 million in the form of dividends to shareholders year to date.
SNDR’s 2026 Outlook
Schneider National has unveiled its guidance for 2026. The company expects its 2026 adjusted EPS to be in the range of 70 cents to $1.00. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently pegged at 22 cents.
Full-year effective tax rate is expected to be 24%. The company expects net capital expenditures to be in the range of $400-$450 million.
Currently, SNDR carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Q1 Performances of Other Transportation Companies
Delta Air Lines DAL reported first-quarter 2026 earnings (excluding $1.08 from non-recurring items) of 64 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 61 cents. Earnings increased 39.1% on a year-over-year basis. Revenues in the March-end quarter were $14.2 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14 billion and increasing on a year-over-year basis.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services JBHT posted first-quarter 2026 earnings per share of $1.49, up 27% from $1.17 a year ago. The result topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $0.04, reflecting a 2.8% surprise.
Operating revenues totaled $3.06 billion, rising 4.6% year over year. Revenues beat the consensus mark of $2.94 billion, resulting in a 3.9% surprise, as demand proved resilient across several service offerings, led by Intermodal volume growth and higher revenues per load in select highway-related businesses.
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