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Why Expeditors Stock Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio

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Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD - Free Report) stock is clearly on a tear, having gained 16.3% in the past three months compared with the 12.4% appreciation of its industry.

Let’s look into the factors that are working in favor of this currently Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock.

Northward Earnings Estimates: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings has been revised 12.1% upward over the past 60 days. For 2020, the consensus mark for earnings has moved 15.1% north in the same time frame. The favorable estimate revisions reflect the confidence of brokers in the stock.

Given the wealth of information at their disposal, it is in the best interest of investors to be guided by the brokers' advice and the direction of their estimate revisions. This is because the direction of estimate revisions serves as an important pointer when it comes to ascertaining the stock price.

Impressive Earnings & Revenue Growth Amid Pandemic: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter earnings per share is pegged at 93 cents, indicating a 1.1% rise from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Similarly, the consensus mark for current-year earnings per share stands at $3.50, implying an 1.5% increase from the prior-year reported figure.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-quarter revenues is pegged at $2.22 billion, suggesting 6.8% growth from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. Similarly, the consensus mark for current-year revenues stands at $8.88 billion, hinting at an 8.6% increase from the prior-year reported figure.

Expeditors’ Growth Score of B further highlights its growth potential.

Other Bullish Factors: Expeditors is being aided by upbeat airfreight revenues. Notably, revenues from this segment surged 47.2% in first-half 2020. The coronavirus-induced cancellation of multiple passenger flights (that usually carry freight as well as passenger luggage) increased the usage of charters to meet the customer needs.

We are also impressed by Expeditors' efforts to reward its shareholders through dividend payments and buybacks. The company’s balance sheet is praiseworthy too. As of Jun 30, 2020, it had no long-term debt obligations.
 

Other Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may also consider a few other top-ranked stocks like Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX - Free Report) , United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS - Free Report) and Werner Enterprises, Inc. (WERN - Free Report) . Knight-Swift sports the same rank as Expeditors while UPS and Werner carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Shares of Knight-Swift, UPS and Werner have rallied 11.6%, 55.2% and 7.4%, respectively, in the past three months.

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