Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR) reported solid first-quarter 2026 results, wherein its earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year.
Quarterly earnings of $1.16 per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11 and grew 36.5% year over year (despite being unfavorably impacted by almost 10 cents related to the previously disclosed supply chain fraud matter). Revenues of $1.17 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.15 billion and surged 1.6% year over year.
Operating income surged 35.1% from the prior-year quarter’s figure to $53.23 million. Total costs and expenses (on a reported basis) rose 0.4% year over year to $1.12 billion.
Landstar System, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Landstar System, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Landstar System, Inc. Quote
Landstar president and chief executive officer, Frank Lonegro, stated, “The Landstar team of independent business owners and employees executed well in a dynamic transportation backdrop, with our network generating higher truck transportation revenues and increased BCO utilization year-over-year. I was particularly pleased with our variable contribution performance, which reflected Landstar’s first year-over-year increase in variable contribution since the third quarter of 2022. We were encouraged by our improved first quarter results, attributable to a strengthening rate environment and the Company’s unwavering commitment to safety, security and service.”
LSTR’s Q1 Segmental Details
Total revenues in the truck transportation segment — contributing to 92.4% of the top line — amounted to $1.08 billion, up 3.1% from the year-ago quarter’s figure. The reported figure was in line with our expectations of $1.06 billion.
Rail intermodal revenues of $19.31 million rose 10.4% from the figure recorded in first-quarter 2025. The reported figure was below our expectations of $21.6 million.
Revenues in the ocean and air-cargo carrier segments fell 26.9% year over year to $47.96 million. The reported figure was below our expectations of $71.7 million.
Other revenues increased 10.5% year over year to $21.72 million. The reported figure was above our expectations of $16.8 million.
Liquidity, Dividends & Buyback
At the end of first-quarter 2026, Landstar had cash and cash equivalents of $353.25 million compared with $396.69 million recorded at the prior-quarter end. Additionally, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) totaled $43.14 million at the end of the first quarter compared with $48.48 million at the prior-quarter end.
During the first quarter of 2026, Landstar purchased 150,923 shares for $22.6 million. Landstar is currently authorized to purchase up to an additional 1,115,195 shares under its longstanding share purchase program. Landstar’s board of directorsalsoannounced a quarterly cash dividend of 40 cents per share payable on June 9, 2026, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 19, 2026.
Currently, Landstar 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 due to high labor costs. Adjusted 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.
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) reported solid first-quarter 2026 results wherein the company’s earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as improved on a year-over-year basis.
UAL's first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) (excluding 95 cents from non-recurring items) of $1.19 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 and increased 30.8% on a year-over-year basis. The reported figure lies within the guided range of $1.00-$1.50.
Operating revenues of $14.6 billion outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $14.3 billion and increased 10.5% year over year. Passenger revenues (which accounted for 90.1% of the top line) increased 11% year over year to $13.1 billion. UAL flights transported 42,486 passengers in the first quarter, up 4.1% year over year.
Cargo revenues fell 1.6% year over year to $422 million. Revenues from other sources rose 10.5% year over year to $1.02 billion.
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, 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 revenue per load in select highway-related businesses.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).