Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ: CHRW) and the best and worst performers in the air freight and logistics industry.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for expedited shipping services, presenting opportunities for air freight companies. The industry continues to invest in advanced technologies such as automated sorting systems and real-time tracking solutions to enhance operational efficiency. Despite the advantages of speed and global reach, air freight and logistics 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 4 air freight and logistics stocks we track reported a strong Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.7%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ: CHRW)

Engaging in contracts with tens of thousands of transportation companies, C.H. Robinson (NASDAQ: CHRW) offers freight transportation and logistics services.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide reported revenues of $3.91 billion, down 6.5% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.9%, but it was still a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

"The fourth quarter certainly provided a challenging macro environment, with weak global freight demand, rising spot costs in trucking and falling ocean rates all providing headwinds to our business," said President and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Bozeman.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 7.6% since reporting and currently trades at $170.27.

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

Best Q4: FedEx (NYSE: FDX)

Sporting one of the largest air cargo fleets in the world, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is a global provider of parcel and cargo delivery services.

FedEx reported revenues of $23.47 billion, up 6.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

FedEx delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 22.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $351.97.

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

Weakest Q4: Expeditors (NYSE: EXPD)

Expeditors (NYSE: EXPD) offers air and ocean freight as well as brokerage services.

Expeditors reported revenues of $2.86 billion, down 3.3% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a mixed quarter as it posted a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 4.6% since the results and currently trades at $142.81.

Read our full analysis of Expeditors’s results here.

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS)

Trademarking its recognizable UPS Brown color, UPS (NYSE: UPS) offers package delivery, supply chain management, and freight forwarding services.

United Parcel Service reported revenues of $24.48 billion, down 3.2% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 8.9% since reporting and currently trades at $97.42.

Read our full, actionable report on United Parcel Service here, it’s free.

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