Looking back on ground transportation stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including RXO (NYSE: RXO) and its peers.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.

The 15 ground transportation stocks we track reported a softer Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.1%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 2.5% on average since the latest earnings results.

RXO (NYSE: RXO)

With access to millions of trucks, RXO (NYSE: RXO) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and last-mile deliveries.

RXO reported revenues of $1.47 billion, down 11.9% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

RXO Chairman and CEO Drew Wilkerson said, “In the fourth quarter, tightening in the freight market accelerated, driven by continued reductions in truckload capacity. This impacted our buy rates and squeezed our Brokerage gross margin. While demand remained soft, we have significant sales momentum. The Brokerage late-stage pipeline for new business grew by more than 50% year-over-year, and our Managed Transportation business was awarded more than $200 million of freight under management in the fourth quarter.”

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 1.7% since reporting and currently trades at $16.29.

Read our full report on RXO here, it’s free.

Best Q4: XPO (NYSE: XPO)

Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE: XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.

XPO reported revenues of $2.01 billion, up 4.7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

XPO scored the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 19.8% since reporting. It currently trades at $215.04.

Is now the time to buy XPO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR)

The parent company of brands such as Zipcar and Budget Truck Rental, Avis (NASDAQ: CAR) is a provider of car rental and mobility solutions.

Avis Budget Group reported revenues of $2.66 billion, down 1.7% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 22.3% since the results and currently trades at $95.85.

Read our full analysis of Avis Budget Group’s results here.

Landstar (NASDAQ: LSTR)

Covering billions of miles throughout North America, Landstar (NASDAQ: LSTR) is a transportation company specializing in freight and last-mile delivery services.

Landstar reported revenues of $1.18 billion, down 2.9% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 1.4%. It was a slower quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is up 6.7% since reporting and currently trades at $163.73.

Read our full, actionable report on Landstar here, it’s free.

U-Haul (NYSE: UHAL)

Founded by a husband and wife duo, U-Haul (NYSE: UHAL) is a provider of rental trucks and storage facilities.

U-Haul reported revenues of $1.42 billion, up 1.9% year on year. This result came in 1.5% below analysts' expectations. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is down 12.4% since reporting and currently trades at $51.75.

Read our full, actionable report on U-Haul here, it’s free.

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