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Old Dominion Freight (ODFL) AI Stock Analysis

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ODFL

Old Dominion Freight

(NASDAQ:ODFL)

Select Model
Rating:77Outperform
Price Target:$204.00â–²(19.65% Upside)
Action:reiterated
Date:11/05/26

ODFL scores well primarily due to standout financial strength and profitability (minimal leverage, strong margins, and robust free cash flow) supported by a constructive earnings update and above-seasonal Q4 outlook. The score is held back by weak-to-neutral price momentum (below major moving averages with negative MACD) and a relatively rich valuation (P/E ~32 with a low dividend yield).

Positive Factors
Profitability and Balance SheetHigh profitability combined with minimal leverage gives Old Dominion substantial financial resilience. Strong margins can support investment and shareholder returns, while the conservative balance sheet provides flexibility to manage freight-cycle weakness without relying heavily on external financing.
Negative Factors
Uneven Freight DemandWeak or uneven tonnage limits network density and can reduce operating leverage in a business built around consolidated freight. Even with pricing gains, slower shipment growth may constrain revenue expansion and make future margin improvement more dependent on cost control.

Old Dominion Freight Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Intercity MilesMeasures the total miles covered between cities, indicating the company's reach and efficiency in long-haul transportation.

0.0050.00M100.00M150.00M200.00MMar 21Jun 21Sep 21Dec 21Mar 22Jun 22Sep 22Dec 22Mar 23Jun 23Sep 23Dec 23Mar 24Jun 24Sep 24Dec 24Mar 25Jun 25Sep 25Dec 25Mar 26Jun 26Sep 26
Chart Insights

Intercity miles declined from a mid‑2022 peak into a trough by late‑2025, then began a modest recovery into mid‑2026 — a clear inflection from volume-driven expansion to a period of softer network activity. That volume weakness has been masked by strong yield and revenue per hundredweight improvements, which helped margins and cash generation in Q2. The key takeaway for investors: pricing/mix is currently offsetting lower miles, but sustained recovery in intercity miles is required to validate the company’s higher capex and maintain operating‑leverage gains amid fuel, labor and mix risks.

Data provided by:The Fly

Old Dominion Freight (ODFL) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-20%0%20%40%60%80%100%ODFL+29.69%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$35.13B
Dividend Yield
0.67%
Average Volume (3M)
1.84M
Price to Earnings (P/E)
30.6
Beta (1Y)
0.91
Revenue Growth
3.80%
EPS Growth
11.90%
Country
US
Employees
20,182
Sector
Industrials
Sector Strength
63
Industry
Trucking

Old Dominion Freight Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL) serves as a prominent less-than-truckload (LTL) freight carrier operating across the United States and North America. The company's offerings include LTL shipping solutions at regional, inter-regional, and natio...

How the Company Makes Money

ODFL makes money mainly by charging customers to transport freight, with the largest revenue stream coming from its LTL business. In LTL, multiple customers’ shipments share trailer space; ODFL earns revenue by pricing each shipment based on factors...

Old Dominion Freight Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Oct 28, 2026(Q3-2026)|% Change Since:-8.84%|Next Earnings Date:Feb 03, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call was strongly positive overall. Old Dominion delivered substantial revenue and earnings growth, improved its operating ratio, maintained leading service metrics, generated significant cash flow, and described improving demand, pricing, capacity, and market-share opportunities. The primary challenges were uneven tonnage trends, elevated medical and fringe-benefit costs, fuel and petroleum-based inflation, and expected fourth-quarter operating-ratio seasonality. The positive operational and financial developments significantly outweighed the stated cost and volume pressures.

Positive Updates

Strong Third-Quarter Financial Results
Third-quarter revenue increased 13.1% to $1.59 billion, earnings per diluted share increased 28.9% to $1.65, and the operating ratio improved by 280 basis points to 71.5%.

Negative Updates

Slight Third-Quarter Tonnage Decline
Although demand improved in September, LTL tons per day decreased 0.1% for the full third quarter year over year.

Company Guidance

For the fourth quarter, Old Dominion currently anticipates revenue of $1.54 billion to $1.58 billion, which would be above our normal seasonality, and an operating ratio of around 73.5% with a plus or minus 20 basis points range if revenue trends continue to hold steady and the company continues to outperform seasonality; incremental margins are expected to be in about the 45% range, the effective tax rate is expected to be 24.8%, and the company expects November and December to trend above seasonality, with potential fringe-benefit and fuel-cost headwinds baked into the operating ratio guidance. For 2027, total CapEx will likely be lower than the 10% to 15% of revenue spend that the company typically sees, while fourth-quarter headcount is expected to show no material change unless there is a major change in overall demand.

Old Dominion Freight Financial Statement Overview

Summary

High-quality fundamentals: best-in-class profitability (TTM gross margin ~32%, net margin ~20%, EBIT margin ~27%), an exceptionally conservative balance sheet with minimal leverage (TTM debt-to-equity ~0.00), and strong, improving free cash flow (TTM FCF ~$1.17B; ~82% of net income). Primary risk is cyclical/choppy revenue and modest margin compression versus 2022.

Income Statement

86Very Positive

Balance Sheet

95Very Positive

Cash Flow

88Very Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue5.79B5.50B5.81B5.87B6.26B5.26B
Gross Profit1.86B1.77B2.02B2.07B2.26B1.78B
EBITDA1.91B1.73B1.90B1.97B2.12B1.65B
Net Income1.16B1.02B1.19B1.24B1.38B1.03B
Balance Sheet
Total Assets5.89B5.47B5.49B5.51B4.84B4.82B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments466.22M120.09M108.68M433.80M235.67M717.00M
Total Debt20.00M39.99M168.29M79.98M99.96M99.95M
Total Liabilities1.22B1.16B1.25B1.25B1.19B1.14B
Stockholders Equity4.67B4.31B4.24B4.26B3.65B3.68B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow1.17B955.10M887.97M811.83M916.43M662.53M
Operating Cash Flow1.43B1.37B1.66B1.57B1.69B1.21B
Investing Cash Flow-170.73M-366.41M-751.19M-659.82M-547.47M-455.29M
Financing Cash Flow-835.73M-992.31M-1.23B-661.83M-1.42B-696.18M

Old Dominion Freight Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentNegative
Last Price170.50

Price Trends

50DMA179.29Negative
100DMA197.76Negative
200DMA201.22Negative

Market Momentum

MACD-3.78Positive
RSI41.97Neutral
STOCH25.95Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ODFL, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 170.50 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 178.96, below the 50-day MA of 179.29, and below the 200-day MA of 201.22, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -3.78 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 41.97 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 25.95 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for ODFL.

Old Dominion Freight Risk Analysis

Old Dominion Freight disclosed 38 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Old Dominion Freight reported the most risks in the "Production" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Production - Risks related to the company’s ability to manufacture goods and services

Latest Risks Added

3 New Risks
1.Changes in international trade policies, including with respect to tariffs, may continue to adversely impact our customers, our industry and our business.Q4, 2025
2.Expectations relating to ESG considerations and related reporting obligations expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm, and other adverse effects on our business.Q4, 2023
3.The engines in our newer tractors are subject to emissions-control regulations that could substantially increase operating expenses and future regulations concerning emissions or fuel-efficiency may have a material adverse impact on our business.Q4, 2023

Old Dominion Freight Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (63)

Financial Indicators

ODFL against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
ODFLODFL77Outperform$34.62B30.6125.92%0.67%3.80%11.90%
SAIASAIA73Outperform$9.06B32.1310.53%―9.34%-0.36%
XPOXPO65Neutral$21.93B44.0526.31%―9.48%51.18%
Sector *63Neutral$10.79B15.437.44%2.01%2.89%-14.66%
ARCBARCB62Neutral$2.95B106.182.23%0.35%8.11%-69.52%
SNDRSNDR56Neutral$5.09B36.014.65%1.35%6.03%24.21%
RXORXO52Neutral$4.61B-55.18-5.80%―10.08%-17.69%

* Industrials Sector Average

Performance Comparison

0%50%100%150%ODFLXPOSAIAARCBSNDRRXODec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
ODFL and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
ODFLOld Dominion Freight Line170.5035.8926.66%
XPOXpo, Inc.189.0053.5339.51%
SAIASaia Inc339.5767.5924.85%
ARCBArcbest135.9170.80108.76%
SNDRSchneider National29.177.7135.91%
RXORXO, Inc.28.1417.51164.72%

Old Dominion Freight Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyDividendsFinancial Disclosures

Old Dominion Freight Raises Quarterly Dividend for Shareholders

Positive
Oct 22, 2026

On October 22, 2026, Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors had declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.29 per share of common stock, payable on December 16, 2026 to shareholders of record as of December 2, 2026. The d...

Executive/Board Changes

Old Dominion Freight appoints new independent board director

Positive
Sep 22, 2026

On September 22, 2026, Old Dominion Freight Line announced that long-serving director John D. Kasarda, Ph.D. retired from its Board of Directors, with the company emphasizing that his departure did not stem from any disagreement over operations, poli...

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures

Old Dominion Freight Reports Strong August LTL Revenue Growth

Positive
Sep 3, 2026

On September 3, 2026, Old Dominion Freight Line reported that its August 2026 less-than-truckload revenue per day rose 12.4% from a year earlier, driven by higher LTL revenue per hundredweight despite a 0.9% decline in LTL tons per day. The tonnage d...

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Nov 05, 2026