Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE:SNDR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Schneider National, Inc. (NYSE:SNDR) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,911,854 shares, a growth of 30.6% from the February 26th total of 3,759,993 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,036,756 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days.

Schneider National Price Performance

Schneider National stock traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.49. The stock had a trading volume of 615,499 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,032,851. Schneider National has a 1-year low of $20.11 and a 1-year high of $30.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.19, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.13 and a quick ratio of 1.95.

Schneider National (NYSE:SNDR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.08). Schneider National had a return on equity of 3.66% and a net margin of 1.83%.The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.20 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Schneider National will post 1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schneider National announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $150.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Schneider National Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Schneider National’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Schneider National’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on SNDR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Schneider National in a report on Monday, December 29th. National Bank Financial set a $27.00 price target on shares of Schneider National in a report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Schneider National from $21.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America raised shares of Schneider National from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Schneider National in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Schneider National presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Schneider National

In related news, CFO Darrell George Campbell sold 6,000 shares of Schneider National stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.89, for a total value of $173,340.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 66,275 shares in the company, valued at $1,914,684.75. The trade was a 8.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 23.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SNDR. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Schneider National during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Schneider National by 2,425.4% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,625 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in Schneider National during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Schneider National by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Schneider National by 36.7% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. 28.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Schneider National

Schneider National, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics services in North America. The company offers a full spectrum of solutions, including truckload transportation, intermodal services and dedicated logistics. Through these offerings, Schneider supports the movement of goods ranging from dry van freight to refrigerated and flatbed shipments, while also providing customized supply chain management and warehousing capabilities.

Founded in 1935 by Al Schneider as a single-truck operation in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the company has grown into one of the industry’s most recognized carriers.