JBHT vs KNX Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
JB Hunt and Knight-Swift are both major North American trucking and logistics companies, but JB Hunt has built a leading position in intermodal rail freight alongside dedicated contract services, while Knight-Swift operates primarily as one of the largest truckload carriers with a growing less-than-truckload segment.
JB Hunt offers differentiated intermodal exposure with more stable dedicated contract revenue, while Knight-Swift offers scale-driven truckload exposure with growing less-than-truckload diversification. Consider whether you prefer JB Hunt's intermodal and dedicated services mix or Knight-Swift's truckload scale and diversification strategy.
JBHT holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. JBHT has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+100.26% vs +64.64%), though KNX has the better forward P/E setup (16.80x vs 25.81x for JBHT). JBHT leads on both revenue growth (19.40%) and operating margin (7.42%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for KNX (+31.84%) than for JBHT (+17.02%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want differentiated exposure to North American intermodal rail freight transportation
- Value the more stable, contracted revenue provided by the dedicated contract services segment
- Believe long-standing rail partnerships support durable intermodal network advantages
- Prefer a more capital-efficient freight model relative to pure over-the-road trucking
- Want scale-driven exposure to the North American truckload freight market
- Believe growing less-than-truckload segment diversification will provide an additional growth avenue
- Value the purchasing power and operational efficiency advantages of a large owned fleet
- Are comfortable with truckload freight rate cyclicality tied to broader market supply and demand
| Metric | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 58.4 | 41.6 |
| AI ranki | #205 | #1015 |
| Latest closei | $273.05 | $68.49 |
| 1M returni | -2.38% | -5.43% |
| 6M returni | +36.44% | +30.76% |
| 1Y returni | +100.26% | +64.64% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $19.81K (+98.1%) started 2025-09-16 | $16.09K (+60.9%) started 2025-09-16 |
| 5Y ago | $17.36K (+73.6%) started 2021-09-17 | $13.03K (+30.3%) started 2021-09-16 |
| 10Y ago | $39.58K (+295.8%) started 2016-09-19 | $23.46K (+134.6%) started 2016-09-16 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $24.51B | $10.94B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 37.18 | 248.98 |
| Forward P/Ei | 25.81 | 16.80 |
| Price/Salesi | N/A | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 2.04 | 1.73 |
| Analyst targeti | $305.45 | $88.63 |
| Target upsidei | +17.02% | +31.84% |
| Metric | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 19.40% | 12.60% |
| Earnings growthi | 45.80% | 23.80% |
| EPS growthi | +45.80% | +23.80% |
| FCF margini | +7.11% | +6.36% |
| Operating margini | 7.42% | 5.18% |
| Profit margini | 5.31% | 0.56% |
| ROIC proxyi | 18.45% | 0.61% |
| Return on equityi | 18.45% | 0.61% |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.69% | 1.20% |
| Payout ratioi | 25.32% | 281.48% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | N/A |
| Betai | 1.30 | 1.19 |
| Debt/equityi | 38.37 | 38.41 |
| Current ratioi | 1.25 | 0.88 |
| Quick ratioi | 1.01 | 0.63 |
Over the past year, JBHT and KNX have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.75), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +98.15% | +60.93% |
| CAGRi | +98.42% | +61.08% | |
| Volatilityi | 38.42% | 39.94% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.86 | 1.28 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 3.56 | 2.10 | |
| Max drawdowni | 15.87% | 19.07% | |
| Current drawdowni | 8.50% | 16.93% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 3.94% | 6.10% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 5.68% | 8.37% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.73% | 7.13% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.15% | 14.75% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +67.56% | +30.28% |
| CAGRi | +10.88% | +5.43% | |
| Volatilityi | 32.42% | 33.93% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.34 | 0.19 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.51 | 0.29 | |
| Max drawdowni | 42.41% | 39.63% | |
| Current drawdowni | 8.50% | 16.93% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 16.40% | 15.89% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 19.37% | 18.31% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.83% | 12.09% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 17.27% | 15.87% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +264.24% | +134.64% |
| CAGRi | +13.81% | +8.90% | |
| Volatilityi | 30.17% | 34.10% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.43 | 0.29 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.64 | 0.43 | |
| Max drawdowni | 42.41% | 51.84% | |
| Current drawdowni | 8.50% | 16.93% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.16% | 16.78% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 16.57% | 20.14% | |
| Max daily dropi | 14.23% | 12.09% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 17.27% | 18.60% |
| Category | JBHT | KNX |
|---|---|---|
| Company | J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Integrated Freight & Logistics | Trucking |
| Core business | A transportation and logistics company providing intermodal, dedicated contract, truckload, and final mile delivery services, with a leading position in North American intermodal rail freight transportation. | A truckload transportation and logistics company operating one of the largest truckload fleets in North America, providing dry van, refrigerated, and less-than-truckload freight services along with logistics brokerage. |
| Investor focus | Intermodal volume and pricing trends, dedicated contract services growth, and rail partnership dynamics affecting intermodal service reliability. | Truckload freight rate cycle trends, fleet utilization, and growth of the less-than-truckload segment following acquisitions. |
- Leading position in North American intermodal freight provides a differentiated, capital-efficient growth avenue versus pure trucking
- Dedicated contract services segment provides more stable, contracted revenue compared to spot market truckload freight
- Long-standing rail partnerships support network reach and service reliability for intermodal customers
- Scale as one of the largest truckload carriers provides purchasing power and operational efficiency advantages
- Diversification into less-than-truckload services through acquisitions provides an additional growth avenue beyond core truckload
- Logistics brokerage segment provides asset-light complementary revenue alongside the core asset-based fleet
- Intermodal volumes and pricing are sensitive to broader freight market conditions and competition from over-the-road trucking
- Rail service reliability depends partly on railroad partner performance outside of JB Hunt's direct control
- Truckload and final mile segments remain exposed to freight rate cyclicality
- Truckload freight rates and volumes are highly cyclical, tied to broader freight market supply and demand balance
- Large owned fleet requires substantial ongoing capital investment in tractors and trailers
- Integration of less-than-truckload acquisitions carries execution risk as the company builds out this newer segment
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