FWRD
Forward AirDDocument history
Earnings documents stored for FWRD.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Forward Air Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
Business Wire
Forward Air Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
Expedited Freight Segment’s Results Improve Year Over Year and Sequentially Liquidity Remains Strong Increasing to Over $400 Million Provides Update on Customer and Strategic Alternatives Review DALLAS, May 07, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ:FWRD) (the "Company", "Forward", "we", "our", or "us") today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2026, as presented in the tables below. "During the first quarter, we stayed focused on the customer and providing award-winning service," said Shawn Stewart, President & Chief Executive Officer. "And as a result, operating income improved to $20 million compared to $5 million in the first quarter a year ago. "On a segment basis, the Expedited Freight’s first quarter Reported EBITDA results improved to $28 million compared to $26 million a year ago and sequentially when compared to the $25 million in the fourth quarter 2025. The 10.4 percent margin is consistent with a year ago and an improvement compared to the 10.1 percent in the fourth quarter 2025. "At the Omni Logistics segment, Reported EBITDA in the first quarter was $25 million and consistent with the $26 million in the first quarter 2025. The margin improved to 8.3 percent compared to 7.9 percent due to an increase in contract logistics volume with a more favorable margin. "Reduction in port activity and softness with key customers continued to negatively impact the Intermodal segment. In the first quarter Reported EBITDA was $5 million and the margin was 10.1 percent respectively, compared to $10 million and 16.4 percent a year ago." Jamie Pierson, Chief Financial Officer, added, "We reported consolidated revenue of $582 million in the first quarter compared to $613 million a year ago. Consolidated EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure calculated pursuant to our Term Loan Credit Agreement, was $70 million, and on a last twelve months basis was $304 million. "Liquidity improved to $402 million at the end of the first quarter comprised of $141 million in cash and $261 million of availability under our credit facility, which is the highest ending cash balance Forward Air has achieved in the past two years. This compares to $367 million in total liquidity at the end of 2025. "As a result of tight control on costs and reduction in advisors and consultants compared to a year ago, cash provided by operating activities improved to $4...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Forward Air Q1 Earnings Call Highlights
MarketBeat
Forward Air Q1 Earnings Call Highlights
Interested in Forward Air Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. Management says one of its largest customers is discussing transitioning a significant portion of business beginning in early 2027; the customer accounted for roughly $250 million of 2025 revenue but Forward Air expects the actual loss to be less and no formal notice has been delivered. The board is pivoting to divest non‑core assets, marketing the Intermodal unit and two legacy Omni businesses (about $394 million of 2025 revenue total), with the Omni sales expected in the next 60–90 days and Intermodal targeted by year‑end. Q1 operating income rose to $20 million (from $5 million a year ago) while consolidated EBITDA held at about $70 million, and liquidity ended the quarter at roughly $402 million (including $141 million cash); management noted tightening capacity and early signs of volume recovery but remains cautious. 7 Short Squeeze Stocks to Look Into for Your Portfolio Forward Air (NASDAQ:FWRD) used its first-quarter 2026 earnings call to outline a potential transition of business from a major customer, provide an update on its strategic alternatives review, and discuss operating performance amid what management described as a still-challenging freight environment. President and CEO Shawn Stewart said the company is in discussions with “one of our largest customers” that is considering transitioning “a significant portion of their business to other providers,” although he emphasized that “no formal notices have been delivered” and that the scope and timing remain under discussion. → Insider Sales: Top AST SpaceMobile Insider Cuts Postion Over 30% Stewart said Forward Air currently anticipates that “the majority of what will ultimately transition will start in early 2027 and take place throughout the balance of the year.” He added that management believes the potential shift has “little, if anything, to do with the impeccable level of service that we provide them,” and instead reflects the customer’s “internal diversification strategy.” On the Q&A portion of the call, Stewart said the relationship is “very good” and described the work for the customer as “quite diverse and dynamic,” primarily “in contract logistics and some transportation.” CFO Jamie Pierson also said the company does not see “any meaningful impacts to the current year” and described the conversations as “posit...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-08Forward Air Corporation Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Forward Air Corporation Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
Management is navigating a potential transition of business from a top customer representing approximately $250 million in 2025 revenue, attributed to the client's internal risk management and supplier diversification rather than service failures. The company is pivoting its strategic review toward the sale of non-core assets, specifically the Intermodal segment and two legacy Omni businesses, after receiving no actionable proposals for a full company sale. Operating income improved to $20 million from $5 million year-over-year, driven by the execution of a transformation plan and operational overhauls despite a weak industry backdrop. Domestic transportation supply is tightening due to increased regulatory enforcement and carrier exits, which management believes is rebalancing the market toward more favorable dynamics. The OmniLogistics segment saw margin expansion to 8.3% as management intentionally shifted volume toward higher-margin contract logistics while lower-margin air and ocean volumes decreased. Intermodal performance was pressured by reduced port activity and international trade softness, leading to a decline in EBITDA margin from 16.4% to 10.1%. Management anticipates that the majority of the potential customer business transition will start in early 2027, and the company is pursuing a sale of non-core assets to help offset the potential impact. The company is cautiously optimistic about a freight recovery, citing four consecutive months of manufacturing PMI expansion and declining inventory-to-sales ratios as leading indicators. Strategic asset sales of Intermodal and Omni units, which represented $394 million of 2025 revenue, are intended to deleverage the balance sheet and sharpen focus on core expedited logistics. Macroeconomic risks, including sustained high fuel prices and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, could potentially dampen industrial demand and delay a full market recovery. Management expects capacity to tighten further in the second half of the year as additional smaller drayage carriers exit the market due to financial distress. Ending cash balance reached $141 million, the highest in eight quarters, providing a liquidity cushion of $40 million relative to credit agreement covenants. The company reported $402 million in total liquidity, positioning it at the upper end of its peer group as a percentage of total assets and...
TranscriptFY2026 Q12026-05-07FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript
Earnings source - 97 paragraphs
FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript
Welcome to Forward Air's first quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Others can hear your questions clearly, we ask that you pick up your handset for best sound quality. I would now like to turn the call over to Tony Carreño, Senior Vice President of Treasury and Investor Relations.
Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Forward Air's first quarter earnings conference call. With us this afternoon are Shawn Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jamie Pierson, Chief Financial Officer. By now, you should have received the press release announcing Forward Air's first quarter 2026 results, which was also furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K. We have also furnished a slide presentation outlining first quarter 2026 earnings highlights and a business update. Both the press release and slide presentation for this call are accessible on the investor relations section of Forward Air's website at forwardair.com. Please be aware that certain statements in the company's earnings release announcement and on this conference call may be considered forward-looking statements.
This includes statements which are based on expectations, intentions, and projections regarding the company's future performance, anticipated events or trends, and other matters that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our fiscal year 2026. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For additional information concerning these risks and factors, please refer to our filings with the SEC and the press release and slide presentation relating to this earnings call. Listeners are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this call.
The company undertakes no obligations to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless required by law. During the call, there may also be discussion of financial metrics that do not conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or GAAP. Management uses non-GAAP measures internally to understand, manage, and evaluate our business and make operating decisions. Definitions and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in today's press release and slide presentation. I will now turn the call over to Shawn.
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us. I appreciate your interest in Forward Air Corporation. There are 3 main topics that I'd like to cover on today's call. First, I will provide an update on the customer transition and our Strategic Alternatives Review that we announced in our press release. Second, I will share some thoughts on our first quarter results and the logistics market in general. Third, I will comment on recent awards earned by our team before turning the call over to Jamie. Let me start with the customer transition. While no formal notices have been delivered, we are in discussions with one of our largest customers to transition a significant portion of their business to other providers. How much of the business will be transitioned and the timing thereof are still being discussed.
We are currently anticipating that the majority of what will ultimately transition will start in early 2027 and take place throughout the balance of the year. It is important to note that we believe this has little, if anything, to do with the impeccable level of service that we provide them and more about their own internal diversification strategy. We are still in active discussions to retain as much of the business as possible, and we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact to our company. I want to reiterate that we believe the customer's decision is entirely related to their own operation and supplier diversification initiatives and has nothing to do with the exceptional service we provide them during our long-term partnership.
This leads me to an update on our strategic review and the new actions we are now pursuing to enhance value and help offset this potential impact. As you know, in January 2025, the board initiated a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. We have had extensive negotiations and discussions with multiple parties. However, due to a variety of factors, including the developments that I just mentioned, no actionable proposals for sale of the company were received. We continue to consider all opportunities to enhance shareholder value, and we are now pivoting our focus to pursue a sale of non-core assets, including our Intermodal segment and two of our smaller legacy Omni businesses, which in aggregate represent approximately $394 million of our 2025 revenue.
These targeted sales are intended to advance our efforts to delever the balance sheet and further focus our services around the core of what we do every single day, which is providing service-sensitive logistics to our customers around the world in air, ocean, ground, and contract logistics markets. With that, let's turn to the second topic, our quarterly results. In the midst of an incredible complex integration. A fairly weak industry backdrop, changing tariff regulations, and the disruption in the Middle East, our team continues to make progress executing our transformation plan, overhauling operations, and improving the quality of our earnings results, which is reflected in our results. For the first quarter, we reported operating income of $20 million compared to $5 million last year. Consolidated EBITDA, which is calculated pursuant to our credit agreement, was $70 million compared to $73 million a year ago.
Regarding the overall logistics market, domestic transportation supply has continued to tighten, driven in large part by increased regulatory and enforcement actions over the past year. These dynamics have accelerated carrier exits, particularly among smaller operators, while limiting capacity additions. A tightening supply environment is a component in rebalancing the freight market and supporting a return to a more favorable market dynamics after years of prolonged freight recession. However, supply is only one side of the equation. Improvement in demand will ultimately determine the pace and sustainability of a recovery. Encouragingly, early indicators suggest that the industrial economy, which is weighed on freight demand, may be approaching an inflection point. Manufacturing PMIs have now remained in expansion territory for 4 consecutive months. Readings above 50 have historically served as a leading indicator for increased freight volumes, as rising manufacturing activity typically drives higher shipment of raw materials and finished goods.
The ratio of inventory sales continues to decline. Outside of the post-COVID destocking, the current levels are at or slightly below the 10-year average with shippers operating with conservative inventory levels amid ongoing tariff uncertainty and evolving trade policy. This has suppressed freight demand in the most recent past, it also creates the potential for a restocking cycle, which could serve as a meaningful tailwind for the freight volumes when demand improves. Do not lose sight of the recent increase in truckload spot rates and corresponding spike in tender rejection rates. While the VIX may have settled, macroeconomic risks remain. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the associated rise in fuel prices introduce a key source of uncertainty. Sustained increases in energy costs could pressure manufacturers and consumers, raising input costs, compressing margins, and ultimately dampening demand.
Outside of this week's announcement and subsequent sell-off in oil, if elevated fuel prices persist, they could lead to tempered demand, offsetting some of the positive momentum emerging in the industrial economy and delaying a recovery in the freight markets. While we are optimistic about the improving freight dynamics, we remain focused on priorities, prioritizing customer service and thoughtful cost management. We have been operating as one company for over two years now, and I am proud of what our team has accomplished and even more excited about our future. Finally, it gives me a great deal of pride for our team of dedicated logistics professionals to be recognized for their hard work, diligence, and commitment to our customers.
Forward Air was recently named the 2026 Surface Carrier of the Year by Airforwarders Association, whose members are freight forwarders that rely on our expedited ground network to maintain the integrity of their airfreight schedules. This recognition reflects the strength of our network, our team's performance, and our commitment to delivering exceptional service on a consistent basis. Forward Air was also recently named to Newsweek's list of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2026. The annual ranking recognizes companies across the industries that have earned strong trust among customers, employees, and investors. This award follows the company's selection to Newsweek's list of Most Responsible Companies in 2025. This recognition underscores the significant transformation our team has achieved over the past two years in optimizing operations, improving performance, and enhancing customer relationships.
Both of these honors are a reminder of the high service standards that we are known for. They reflect the dedication of our people, whose efforts continue to drive our reputation for excellence. With that, I will now turn the call to Jamie to go through the detailed results of the first quarter.
Thanks, Shawn, and good afternoon, everyone. As you heard from Shawn, we reported a consolidated EBITDA of $70 million in the first quarter compared to $73 million in the first quarter of 2025. As a reminder, the comparable results attributable to a year ago were favorably impacted by $4 million of annualized cost reduction initiatives that were actioned in the second half of 2025. The credit agreement allows for the inclusion of the unrealized and pro forma savings from these actions to be included in our historical consolidated EBITDA and required that they be spread back in time to the period in which the expense would have occurred. On an LTM basis, consolidated EBITDA was $304 million. Like we normally do, we have detailed the information used to reconcile the adjusted and consolidated EBITDA results on slide 30 of the presentation.
On an adjusted EBITDA basis, we reported $70 million in the first quarter compared to $69 million in the first quarter of last year. Turning to the segments, Expedited Freight reported EBITDA improved to $28 million compared to $26 million a year ago, with the exact same margin of 10.4%. The Expedited Freight segment's first quarter results also improved sequentially when compared to the $25 million of reported EBITDA and a margin of 10.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025. At the Omni Logistics segment, reported EBITDA of $25 million in the first quarter of this year was in line with the $26 million we reported a year ago.
The margin improved from 8.3% to 7.9% last year, driven by an increase in contract logistics volume with a higher margin compared to a decrease in air and ocean volumes that have lower margins. At the Intermodal segment, we continue to see a challenging market, especially from reduced port activities. International trade-related softness among several core customers contributed to a decline in shipments and revenue per shipment compared to a year ago. In the first quarter, the Intermodal segment's reported EBITDA and margin were $5 million and 10.1% respectively, compared to $10 million and 16.4% a year ago.
Externally, going back into the back half of the year, we expect to see capacity tighten as JIT supply chains for our BCO customer base loosens as tariffs stabilize, and as additional capacity exits the market due to financial difficulties and bankruptcies of smaller drayage carriers. Internally, we have a strong pipeline and have recently enacted strategic rate increase to several key accounts. Turning to cash flow, cash, and liquidity, net cash provided by operating activities in the first quarter was $46 million, an improvement of $18 million or more than 60% compared to $28 million in the first quarter of last year.
As for liquidity, we ended the first quarter with $402 million, which is an increase of $35 million compared to the end of the fourth quarter of 2025 and about a $10 million increase from last year's comparable $393 million. The $402 million is comprised of $141 million in cash and $261 million in availability under the revolver. As usual, I'd like to leave you with a couple additional thoughts. The first of which is liquidity and how we manage the business, especially in uncertain times. As you heard earlier, our ending liquidity included $141 million in cash, which is the highest ending cash balance in the past eight quarters.
When compared to our publicly traded peers, we are at the upper end of the spectrum when calculating liquidity as a percent of both total assets and LTM revenue. On slide 22 of the earnings presentation, you'll also see on a non-GAAP basis, we generated $58 million in operating cash flow in the first quarter, which is approximately $12 million better than last year's comparable results. Secondarily, as you heard from Shawn, we are cautiously optimistic about improvements in freight demand, especially in the most recent past. However, there are numerous crosscurrents, including potential continued improvements in the freight demand, counterbalanced by ongoing headwinds from inflation, subdued consumer confidence, and macroeconomic risks will need to play out to see if the improvement in demand is sustainable.
Regardless of when we see the market fully turn in a positive direction, we plan to continue focusing on the customer, increasing sales, and tightly managing expenses. I will now turn the call over to the operator to take questions. Operator?
The floor is now open for questions. Thank you. Our first question is coming from Bruce Chan with Stifel. Your line is now open.
Hey, good afternoon, team. This is Andrew Cox on for Bruce. I just wanted to touch on the customer loss or customer transition here. We understand that nothing is set in stone, but we are talking about 10% of total revenue. Would just like to get some more details on maybe what segment it is in and what maybe the margin profile is, and how much fixed or structural costs are associated with this customer, and how fast you guys expect to be able to flex down either the cost or backfill the revenues. Thank you.
Hey, Andrew, it's Shawn. Thank you for the question. Yeah. It's quite diverse and dynamic of what service offerings we provide them. It's mainly in contract logistics and some transportation. Margins are different depending on- What area, what segment of that I just said is in. You know, we're still in conversations, so it's very fluid. Obviously, we wanna be transparent today. We are still in heavy negotiation or not negotiation, but conversations. It's a very good relationship. It's not a situation of anything other than what we understand and believe to be diversifying their overall supply chain portfolio between providers.
Yeah. If I can add on there, Andrew. I mean, we're positioning ourselves to hold on to as much of this business as possible. Shawn said it perfectly, which is, with our belief that, this isn't about service, it's about their growth and their concentration with us. It's just a simple diversification play. I think it's important to note that we don't see any meaningful impacts to the current year. As you noted, it's ongoing. To date, the conversations have been positive.
Okay. That's helpful. Let's move on to strategic review. You know, it seems like we've got a conclusion here, and that's positive. We appreciate the background on the, you know, total revenue between the three businesses you guys are looking to sell. You know, is there any kind of timeline we can expect here or are any more details on the sale process? Thank you.
Yeah. I'll jump at that first and let Shawn back clean up. Yeah, in terms of the timing, the 2 smaller legacy Omni ones, we anticipate to close in the next 60-90 days. On the larger Intermodal, we're just kicking that off. I think we'll be done by the end of the year, at least that's our expectation. I'd say, you know, small proceeds in the next 60-90 days. The expectation, again, is being able to sell the Intermodal business by the end of the year.
Okay. Really helpful. I'll hop back in the queue. Thanks.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Stephanie Moore with Jefferies. Your line is now open.
Hi. Good afternoon. I guess maybe going back to the situation with the customer, maybe I'll ask this, you know, a little more direct than the prior question. I guess I'm trying to understand, you know, how much leeway or time you saw this coming, like, has this been a conversation that's been going on for some time? You know, I think it's hard to believe for a customer of this size to kind of make these changes so quickly. If you could give a little bit of color on maybe what services this customer provides or at market, just to get some color there. Maybe a little history on maybe other customer losses, if it's not due to service and it's just diversification, it's obviously having a really large impact this year.
If you could just touch a little bit more about when this started kinda happening, and then at the same time, you know, what can be done on your end to hopefully try to retain this if possible?
Yeah. Hey, Stephanie. Jamie here. I'll jump in there first. In terms of the timing, it's still happening. You know, I think Shawn said it, I certainly did, is, you know, the dialogue to date is active. I mean, it's on an ongoing basis, I'd say it's constructive. We're putting ourselves in the best possible spot to hold on to as much of the business as we can. If it was a service related issue, I might feel differently. If we looked at our service KPIs with this customer, we're incredible, in my opinion. It's my opinion, these are my words, Stephanie, nobody else's. We're incredible. You know, it's more about their concentration with us. They've grown with us. They've been a long-term partner with us.
I think it's more about a, you know, a risk management perspective on their behalf than anything else. In, in terms of how quickly, it's, you know, it's May, it's the beginning of May, it's gonna take some time. You know, the best as we can tell is there's not gonna be any impact to 2026. It won't be until early 2027 that we see anything meaningful or material, if at all. I mean, we're again, we're not throwing in the towel, but we just felt that it was, you know, the right thing to do to let you guys know that we're in these discussions as quickly as we possibly could.
Well, I guess my question on this too is, I guess you worded it today, then the release, that part of maybe the strategic alternative review process was impacted by this development with this customer. As we think about this, how much does this weigh on maybe that strategic process? Then once there is some definitive maybe decision here, whether it is bad or, you know, if this customer does decide to walk away, what does that mean in terms of ongoing strategic processes once this is cleared up? Thanks.
Yeah. I don't know. I can't answer that second question about what will happen after it's cleared up. In terms of an impact, anytime you've got a large customer concentration like this, it's gonna weigh in either positively or negatively. I mean, you get one or the other, right? In terms of its impact on the strat alt, the fact that you look at a customer that is approximately $250 million plus or minus in revenue, it is going to have an impact.
Yep. Absolutely. I guess 1 last one for me, just sorry, some of that was just clarification, just on the core business itself, you know, wanted to get a sense of just the ongoing pricing environment. I mean, I think this is, you know, a good there's some, certainly some green shoots and some positivism in the underlying freight environment. If you could just talk a little bit about just pricing across your business and just your level of comfort given, you know, given we are seeing, you know, what appears to be a bit of an uptick in underlying freight market.
Hey, Steph. It's Sean. Pricing, we feel really strong about. You know, we had the hiccups in a prior period and I feel strongly that we are extremely solid in all of our revenue streams, whether it be in the global freight forwarding market and/or the ground LTL business and truckload. I'm extremely confident in what we're doing, both on a cost management basis and on a revenue generation basis. As you can see the consistency in our margins and profitability. It's a proof that we learned a lot and we've continued to enhance ourselves from there on forward.
If I can jump in there a little bit. If you look at the spot rate over the last 6 months, which I know you do, it's up, I think like, 40% since late last year. Tender rejections are up almost 2x, up 100%. ISM continues to lean out. I think all of the macro indicators, and PMI is positive for 4 months in a row. I think the macro indicators are pointing in our direction, if you will. My experience in this space is it generally takes, you know, 3 to 6 months for it to really take effect, and we're kind of in that third or 6 months now.
We're not pricing for yield, we're not pricing for volume, we're pricing for profitability.
All right. Thank you.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Scott Group with Wolfe Research. Your line is now open.
Hey, thanks. Afternoon, guys. Just to follow up on the business trends. Tonnage was down, what about 2%, and yields ex-fuel down about 1%. What are you seeing as the quarter progresses so far in Q2, are things accelerating? I know you said you feel good about the price, but yield ex-fuel down a little bit. Just, you know, a little bit more color would be great. Thank you.
Yeah. Hey, Scott, I'm gonna let Jamie go because I know he just wants to say he's not gonna give you guidance, but great question. Let's see if he's nicer today.
Yeah. That's actually funny. You beat me to the punch. At the risk of not giving guidance, I'd say over the last 2 weeks of the quarter, and I'd say even kind of going into April, we've seen a fairly strong volume environment, at least from our perspective. I don't want to, you know, preordain that the recovery's here. I stick by what I said about the spot, the tender and the ASR and the PMI that there's a lag there. I'd say in the last couple of weeks of the quarter and going into April, we've seen a fairly, I don't want to say it too verbosely, but a fairly strong volume environment.
Jamie, I just want to clarify that, you said the business that you're selling is $390 million of revenue. That's Intermodal plus the two smaller Omni businesses, right?
That's exactly right.
All combined.
You got it.
And-
Yeah. Two of the Omni-
What are the two smaller Omni businesses? Do you have any sense of profitability there?
Yeah. No. They're two small legacy Omni businesses, Scott. One, I'm not gonna disclose which they are. There's some confidentialities you can imagine with the buyers that we precluded us from giving you the names. You can see, of the $390, $230 is Intermodal, so you're talking about $160 that's remaining. It's not that much.
Okay. Your Intermodal business, are there containers here or is it all asset light?
Are there containers here or is it all asset light?
You think, is it Intermodal or are we leasing the chassis? What's your question again? Sorry.
Well, I mean, what exactly is your Intermodal business like? I don't think it's like a J.B. Hunt Intermodal business, maybe I'm wrong.
Scott, I'll take that. It's mainly port and rail head drayage with what we call CY or container yard management. Storage of containers, on chassis, and mainly port and rail head drayage to final customers.
This is where you own trucks or you have owner-operators?
We have owner-operators, and we have owned and leased chassis.
Okay.
Perfect.
Maybe just one more for you, Jamie, if I can. With this customer loss, I know the leverage metrics start, leverage thresholds as the year plays out start to get a little bit harder. I guess maybe this customer is more 27. Any like conversations with the lending group at all, how should we be thinking about this?
Yeah, sure. It's the right question to ask, Scott. You know, we ended the quarter with $40 million in cushion. This is small step down from where we ended the year. We ended the quarter with the highest cash balance we've had in 2 years. Over $400 million in liquidity. I know you've done this math, I mean, y'all have, is if you looked at liquidity as a % of total assets or liquidity as a % of LTM total revenue, we're at the upper echelon of that spectrum of our publicly traded peers. $40 million in cushion is a place that I can certainly live in. $400 million in liquidity is a very good place to be.
Appreciate the time, guys. Thank you.
Thanks, Scott.
Thanks, Scotty.
Thank you. Once again, if you do have a question, you may press star one on your telephone keypad at this time. Our next question comes from Harrison Bauer with Susquehanna. Your line is now open.
Hey, thanks for taking my question. One quick follow-up on the Omni businesses that you're selling. Of that $160 million, is there any crossover of the potential lost business or of the $250 million?
Not that I can think of, Harrison. If it is, it's certainly not material.
No.
Okay. Thanks for that. Then just maybe taking a step back, just general competitive dynamics. Obviously, with the announcement of Amazon Supply Chain Services this week, is there any relation to that and the loss of this business at all? Are there other areas of your business that are potentially exposed to what Amazon is trying to lay out there and some of their maybe aggressive pricing actions that they may take?
Yeah, I'll take that one, Harrison. No correlation between Amazon and our customer. You know, obviously, the news of Amazon is fairly new, but we know them extremely well over the years. Not surprised necessarily by their announcement. I also don't think, you know, we need to let this thing evolve a little bit and see where it goes. Ultimately, we're not so susceptible to this announcement by our volumes, et cetera. Respect what they're doing, respect Amazon a lot, and something that we'll continue to keep an eye on and not be naive with it. Not overly concerned today as we sit around the impact to us at all on this announcement.
Okay, thanks. Thanks for the color there. Then, you know, maybe last one from me. In the retaining or existing Omni business that you have left, you know, now that you have a handful of capacity that you need it backfill, how are you thinking about pricing for that going forward? And maybe the trade-off of volume and price around your business, you know, not just for Omni, but maybe also in the core Expedited LTL as well. Thanks.
I would say, Harrison, we're not gonna get in any kind of desperate situation here. We have a great organization, great solutions, a fantastic product, and we'll continue to price aggressive, but also keeping profitability in mind. You know, we'll get strategic where it makes sense in a given customer or a given origin destination pair, but not at the detriment of the company and our overall margin. You will see us, and you have seen us, pick up new logos and new businesses, and we'll continue on that mantra. I'm not someone that gets over worried or in a situation 'cause we're great, and we just need to continue to stick to what we do.
We'll move forward with replacing that potential loss at, in different areas as we see fit.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Thank you. Our next question comes from Christopher Kuhn with StoneX. Your line is now open.
Yeah. Hey, guys. Good afternoon. Thanks for the question. Sorry, I just wanted to qualify. That customer loss is $250 million. That's the total amount of a customer's business with you, and you may or may not lose all of it. You're in negotiations for that right now. Is that the case?
It is total 25, 2025 revenue of $250. We're giving you holistic of what the revenue is. That does not by any means, Chris, state that we're losing $250. That was the total spend in 2025.
Okay. All right. It may be less than that.
It will be less than that.
Oh, okay. If you, I mean, the negotiation, is it on price? 'Cause the service seems pretty solid there. What would be the issue aside from just diversification?
That's it. I mean, you gotta think about what the, you know, what we do for some of our customers. We handle an incredible amount of their supply chain. I wouldn't say it's incumbent. Incumbent is probably the wrong word. It is wise and a fiduciary duty for them not to put too much of a percentage in any one particular supplier's hands. Throughout the years, we've grown with them. We provided that level of service. It is, in our opinion, simply a diversification play and understandable.
Oh, okay. Got it. If you lost some of this, would that change the margin profile? I guess it is within the Omni businesses or is it relatively, you know, similar to where your EBITDA margins are?
Yeah. We don't talk about margins on any one particular customer. You know, we're gonna see how this thing shakes out here in, in the near future. Man, we're again, Chris, I think the takeaway is threefold. One, the conversations have been both active and constructive. Two, no impact that we can see that's gonna occur in 2026 given the complexity of what we do for our customers. Lastly, you know, they've been, you know, fairly positive to date. We're continuing to have the conversations, and we're gonna continue to do so.
Is there sort of a way to, if you lost any of it, to backfill it with another customer? Is there a plan for that, or you'll just wait and see?
That's a plan every day, Chris, whether you're losing customers or down-trading customers. Growth is the number 1 strategy of our combined organization. You know, it's obviously been in a tough market. At the same time, you've seen us be very sustainable over the last 2 years. We need this market to turn. Absolutely, we're not changing anything because of this announcement. We may run a little faster with already sprinting going on as the way we run our organization.
Yeah. The only thing I'd add to that, Christopher, as best as I can tell in the, I don't know, what is it? 23 months that I've been here, is going back and looking at history is that we are a fairly high beta performer. We do better in times of volatility and especially when capacity gets tight. We all do good when capacity gets tight. We seem to do better than our peers when that occurs. That is certainly part of the plan.
Okay, just last one. You guys have talked about this in the past, I mean, have you seen any truckload back to LTL conversions in your business?
We've heard, yes, because the rising, and I don't wanna get too ahead of ourselves, back to Scott's question. We're seeing volumes. It could be, but we don't have enough information to say that. As you guys probably been watching the true domestic Intermodal market, you're seeing a lot of diversions from over the road onto the domestic Intermodal. You're also seeing slowly an influx of the ocean containers coming back in. There's gonna be a point of inflection there where a lot of things are gonna shift as the demand comes through. It could be the early stages, but don't quote me on that because that's just we're watching it.
We have heard from certain customers that transition is starting just because of the overall price of the truckload.
Got it, guys. Thanks, Shawn. Thanks, Jimmy.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay.
At this time, there are no further questions in queue. Let me turn it over to Mr. Stewart for any final remarks.
All right. Thank you guys so much for your time and attention and interest in our organization. You know, in closing, recent quarters, we've, you know, really navigated a challenging environment with discipline and focus while taking actions to strengthen our company and our overall business. We're extremely confident in the foundation we are building and the steps we are taking to improve our performance. Again, really appreciate your time today, and as usual, if you have any follow-up questions, please reach out to Tony directly. Thank you.
This concludes Forward Air's first quarter 2026 earnings conference call. Please disconnect your line at this time, and have a wonderful evening.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-06What To Expect From Forward Air Corp (FWRD) Q1 2026 Earnings
GuruFocus.com
What To Expect From Forward Air Corp (FWRD) Q1 2026 Earnings
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) is set to release its Q1 2026 earnings on May 7, 2026. The consensus estimate for Q1 2026 revenue is $620.22 million, and the earnings are expected to come in at -$0.57 per share. The full year 2026's revenue is expected to be $2.60 billion and the earnings are expected to be -$1.25 per share. More detailed estimate data can be found on the Forecast page. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with FWRD. Is FWRD fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Revenue estimates for Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) have declined from $2.62 billion to $2.60 billion for the full year 2026 and declined from $2.82 billion to $2.78 billion for 2027 over the past 90 days. Earnings estimates for Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) have declined from -$1.12 per share to -$1.25 per share for the full year 2026 and declined from $0.08 per share to -$0.17 per share for 2027 over the past 90 days. In the previous quarter of 2025-12-31, Forward Air Corp's (NASDAQ:FWRD) actual revenue was $631.23 million, which beat analysts' revenue expectations of $629.46 million by 0.28%. Forward Air Corp's (NASDAQ:FWRD) actual earnings were -$0.91 per share, which missed analysts' earnings expectations of -$0.49 per share by -87.63%. After releasing the results, Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) was up by 4.55% in one day. Based on the one-year price targets offered by 3 analysts, the average target price for Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) is $35.00 with a high estimate of $42.00 and a low estimate of $30.00. The average target implies an upside of 107.59% from the current price of $16.86. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) in one year is $37.81, suggesting an upside of 124.26% from the current price of $16.86. Based on the consensus recommendation from 6 brokerage firms, Forward Air Corp's (NASDAQ:FWRD) average brokerage recommendation is currently 2.2, indicating an "Outperform" status. The rating scale ranges from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies Strong Buy, and 5 denotes Sell.
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-29Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
Zacks
Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.14 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.05 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.19 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +8.77%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this trucking company would post earnings of $1.06 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.09, delivering a surprise of +2.83%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Old Dominion, which belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Truck industry, posted revenues of $1.33 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.51%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.37 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Old Dominion shares have added about 41.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 4.3%. While Old Dominion has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Old Dominion was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Z...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-29Forward Air Corporation Announces Timing of First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
Business Wire
Forward Air Corporation Announces Timing of First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
DALLAS, April 28, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ: FWRD) ("Forward" or the "Company") will release its first quarter 2026 earnings after the market closes on Thursday, May 7, 2026, and hold a conference call to discuss those results at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Company’s conference call will be available online on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website at ir.forwardaircorp.com or by dialing (800) 579-2543, Access Code: FWRDQ126. A conference call replay will be available on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website at ir.forwardaircorp.com shortly after the call is completed. About Forward Air Corporation Forward Air is a leading asset-light provider of transportation services across the United States, Canada and Latin America. We provide expedited less-than-truckload services, including local pick-up and delivery, shipment consolidation/deconsolidation, warehousing, and customs brokerage by utilizing a comprehensive national network of terminals. In addition, we offer truckload brokerage services, including dedicated fleet services, and intermodal, first and last-mile, high-value drayage services, both to and from seaports and railheads, dedicated contract and Container Freight Station warehouse and handling services. Forward also operates a full portfolio of multimodal solutions, both domestically and internationally, via Omni Logistics. Omni Logistics is a global provider of air, ocean and ground services for mission-critical freight. We are more than a transportation company. Forward is a single resource for your shipping needs. For more information, visit our website at www.forwardaircorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260428205112/en/ Contacts Investor Contact: Tony Carreño [email protected] Media Contact: Hannah Weeg [email protected]
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-28ArcBest (ARCB) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
Zacks
ArcBest (ARCB) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
ArcBest (ARCB) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.32 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.51 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +16.79%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this freight transportation and logistics company would post earnings of $0.45 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.36, delivering a surprise of -20%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. ArcBest, which belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Truck industry, posted revenues of $998.79 million for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.52%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $967.08 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. ArcBest shares have added about 70.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 4.8%. While ArcBest has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for ArcBest was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 R...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-04-16JB Hunt (JBHT) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Zacks
JB Hunt (JBHT) Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
JB Hunt (JBHT) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.49 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.45 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.17 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +2.54%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this trucking and logistics company would post earnings of $1.81 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.9, delivering a surprise of +4.97%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. JB Hunt, which belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Truck industry, posted revenues of $3.06 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.88%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.92 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. JB Hunt shares have added about 18.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.8%. While JB Hunt has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for JB Hunt was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) s...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-25Forward Air Corporation Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary
Moby
Forward Air Corporation Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary
Management is nearing the conclusion of a comprehensive strategic alternatives review conducted amidst a difficult logistics environment and broader economic backdrop. The company unified U.S. domestic operations under the 'One Ground Network,' integrating line haul, pickup and delivery, and brokerage into a single, channel-agnostic operating structure. Performance in the Expedited Freight segment was driven by corrective pricing actions and the removal of unprofitable freight, resulting in a 110 basis point EBITDA margin improvement for the full year. The Omni Logistics segment achieved record revenue and EBITDA margins in Q4 2025, benefiting from a rebuilt commercial organization and a focus on high-value 'synergy selling' across product lines. Management attributed the $40 million year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA to rigorous cost control and the realization of synergy savings as historical pro forma items rolled off. The Latin America regional structure was expanded to five countries, anchored by a Miami gateway to connect regional markets to global networks with enhanced security and reliability. Operational leverage was strengthened by consolidating duplicative real estate and reducing expenses, positioning the network to capture disproportionate gains when market volumes recover. Management expects volume declines in the Expedited Freight segment to moderate in 2026 as the company laps previous corrective pricing actions. The 'One ERP' initiative is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, aiming to standardize global financial reporting and data decision-making through a single integrated platform. Guidance for a market recovery remains cautious; management is looking for a sustained PMI above 50 and continued increases in truckload spot rates and rejections before declaring a cycle turn. The company anticipates significant operating leverage in the domestic ground network, where excess capacity allows incremental shipments to contribute disproportionately to the bottom line. Strategic focus for 2026 remains on profitable long-term growth through the expansion of synergistic service offerings and rounding out the global leadership team. Q4 2025 operating expenses included a $20 million non-cash charge for the impairment of software implementation costs, which was added back to consolidated EBITDA per credit agreements. The company rep...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-24Forward Air Corp (FWRD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Resilient Performance Amid Economic ...
GuruFocus.com
Forward Air Corp (FWRD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Resilient Performance Amid Economic ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Consolidated EBITDA (Q4 2025): $77 million, up from $72 million in Q4 2024. Full Year Consolidated EBITDA (2025): $307 million, compared to $311 million in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA (2025): Improved by $40 million to $293 million from $253 million in 2024. Expedited Freight EBITDA Margin (2025): Improved by 110 basis points to 10.9% from 9.8% in 2024. Expedited Freight EBITDA (Q4 2025): $25 million, up from $18 million in Q4 2024. Omni Logistics EBITDA (Q4 2025): $36 million, up from $32 million in Q4 2024. Omni Logistics EBITDA Margin (2025): Increased by 360 basis points to 9.2% from 5.6% in 2024. Intermodal EBITDA (Q4 2025): $7 million, down from $10 million in Q4 2024. Cash from Operating Activities (2025): Generated $44 million, compared to consuming $69 million in 2024. Liquidity (End of 2025): $367 million, including $106 million in cash and $261 million in revolver availability. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 11 Warning Signs with FWRD. Is FWRD fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: February 23, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) reported a solid consolidated EBITDA of $307 million for the full year 2025, showing resilience despite economic headwinds. The company successfully improved its adjusted EBITDA by $40 million year-over-year, reaching $293 million in 2025. Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) has made significant progress in its strategic alternatives review process, nearing a conclusion. The company has unified its US domestic operations under the One Ground Network, creating a more cohesive and scalable operating model. Forward Air Corp (NASDAQ:FWRD) unveiled a new Latin America regional structure, strengthening its global logistics network and enhancing service offerings. The logistics environment and broader economic backdrop have been challenging, contributing to the length of the strategic review process. The Intermodal segment faced a challenging market with declining shipments and revenue per shipment due to trade-related softness and seasonality. Operating expenses were negatively impacted by a $20 million charge for the impairment of software implementation costs. The company experienced a decline in tonnage in the Expedited Freight segment, although it managed t...
Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-02-24Forward Air Q4 Earnings Call Highlights
MarketBeat
Forward Air Q4 Earnings Call Highlights
Strategic alternatives review — CEO Shawn Stewart said the company is "nearing the conclusion" of a comprehensive strategic alternatives review while continuing to prioritize operating performance and preparation for a market inflection. Profitability and segment trends — Full-year adjusted EBITDA rose $40 million to $293 million (consolidated EBITDA roughly $307M), despite a $20 million non‑cash Q4 software impairment addback; Expedited Freight and Omni posted margin and EBITDA gains while Intermodal remained pressured by weak port activity and customer softness. Cash, liquidity and early market signals — Forward Air generated $44 million of cash from operating activities in 2025 (versus a $69 million use in 2024), finished the year with $367 million of liquidity and no meaningful maturities for almost five years, and sees operating leverage plus early—but not yet sustained—signs of a freight recovery (rising spot rates and tender rejections). Interested in Forward Air Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. 7 Short Squeeze Stocks to Look Into for Your Portfolio Forward Air (NASDAQ:FWRD) executives highlighted steady consolidated results, improving earnings quality, and progress on a strategic alternatives review during the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings call. Management also pointed to ongoing transformation initiatives, technology modernization efforts, and signs that freight markets may be nearing an inflection point, while emphasizing that clear evidence of a sustained recovery has not yet emerged. CEO Shawn Stewart said the company has continued to make progress on its strategic alternatives review since the last update in November and believes it is “nearing the conclusion.” Stewart described the process as “extremely comprehensive” and said a difficult logistics environment and broader economic backdrop contributed to its duration. He added that the company remains focused on operating performance and preparing for an eventual market turn, and said the company will share updates when it has them. → Gold and Silver Pulled Back—Here’s Why the Bull Case Is Intact In the Q&A, Stewart declined to add detail, reiterating that he felt confident the process was coming to a conclusion. For full-year 2025, Stewart said Forward Air reported consolidated EBITDA (as calculated under its credit agreement) of $307 million, compared w...

