As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q4. Today, we are looking at ground transportation stocks, starting with XPO (NYSE: XPO).

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation 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 15 ground transportation stocks we track reported a softer Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.8%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 7.4% on average since the latest earnings results.

Best Q4: XPO (NYSE: XPO)

Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE: XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.

XPO reported revenues of $2.01 billion, up 4.7% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

XPO scored the biggest analyst estimates beat of the whole group. The stock is up 11.7% since reporting and currently trades at $200.52.

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

Universal Logistics (NASDAQ: ULH)

Founded in 1932, Universal Logistics (NASDAQ: ULH) is a provider of customized transportation and logistics solutions operating throughout the United States and in Mexico, Canada, and Colombia.

Universal Logistics reported revenues of $385.4 million, down 17.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.5%. The business had a strong quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and revenue estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 48.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $21.47.

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

Weakest Q4: Werner (NASDAQ: WERN)

Conducting business in over a 100 countries, Werner (NASDAQ: WERN) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal delivery services.

Werner reported revenues of $737.6 million, down 2.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 20.4% since the results and currently trades at $30.13.

Read our full analysis of Werner’s results here.

Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ)

Started with a dozen Model T Fords, Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) is a global car rental company providing vehicle rental services to leisure and business travelers.

Hertz reported revenues of $2.03 billion, flat year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. However, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 14.5% since reporting and currently trades at $5.06.

Read our full, actionable report on Hertz here, it’s free.

ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB)

Historically owning furniture, banking, and other subsidiaries, ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal deliveries of freight.

ArcBest reported revenues of $972.7 million, down 2.9% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Aside from that, it was a softer quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

The stock is up 17.8% since reporting and currently trades at $100.51.

Read our full, actionable report on ArcBest here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.