Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for XPO (NYSE:XPO) Stock Price

XPO (NYSE:XPO) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $170.00 to $135.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 38.61% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on XPO in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $156.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of XPO from $180.00 to $138.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of XPO from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of XPO from $170.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on XPO from $148.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $140.16.

XPO Price Performance

XPO opened at $97.40 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $117.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.80. The company has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 2.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. XPO has a 1 year low of $85.06 and a 1 year high of $161.00.

XPO (NYSE:XPO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.21. XPO had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 30.36%. As a group, analysts anticipate that XPO will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

XPO announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, March 27th that permits the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 5.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO David J. Bates bought 1,880 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $106.16 per share, for a total transaction of $199,580.80. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now directly owns 21,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,240,612.96. The trade was a 9.78 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On XPO

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of XPO by 89.0% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 240 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in XPO in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of XPO in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its stake in shares of XPO by 69.1% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 318 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of XPO by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. 97.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About XPO

XPO, Inc provides freight transportation services in the United States, rest of North America, France, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, North American LTL and European Transportation. The North American LTL segment provides customers with less-than-truckload (LTL) services, such as geographic density and day-definite domestic services.