Heartland Express Inc (HTLD)
Pretax margin
| Dec 31, 2024 | Sep 30, 2024 | Jun 30, 2024 | Mar 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2023 | Sep 30, 2023 | Jun 30, 2023 | Mar 31, 2023 | Dec 31, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 | Jun 30, 2022 | Mar 31, 2022 | Dec 31, 2021 | Sep 30, 2021 | Jun 30, 2021 | Mar 31, 2021 | Dec 31, 2020 | Sep 30, 2020 | Jun 30, 2020 | Mar 31, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings before tax but after interest (EBT) (ttm) | US$ in thousands | -36,675 | -29,390 | -31,497 | -16,764 | 19,854 | 35,254 | 81,419 | 175,849 | 181,091 | 187,267 | 187,787 | 110,172 | 106,048 | 103,300 | 97,356 | 94,976 | 94,262 | 87,875 | 87,780 | 92,893 |
| Revenue (ttm) | US$ in thousands | 1,047,511 | 1,080,282 | 1,115,447 | 1,146,862 | 1,207,458 | 1,287,034 | 1,265,984 | 1,147,636 | 967,995 | 761,214 | 639,850 | 606,157 | 607,284 | 614,931 | 624,601 | 631,346 | 645,262 | 656,699 | 642,325 | 623,596 |
| Pretax margin | -3.50% | -2.72% | -2.82% | -1.46% | 1.64% | 2.74% | 6.43% | 15.32% | 18.71% | 24.60% | 29.35% | 18.18% | 17.46% | 16.80% | 15.59% | 15.04% | 14.61% | 13.38% | 13.67% | 14.90% |
December 31, 2024 calculation
Pretax margin = EBT (ttm) ÷ Revenue (ttm)
= $-36,675K ÷ $1,047,511K
= -3.50%
Heartland Express Inc's pretax margin has shown some fluctuations over the past few years. The pretax margin started at a healthy 14.90% in March 2020 and saw a slight decrease to 13.67% by June 2020, before further declining to 13.38% in September 2020. However, there was a positive trend observed in the following quarters, with the pretax margin reaching 17.46% by December 2021.
The pretax margin continued to improve in the first quarter of 2022, reaching 18.18%, but experienced a significant spike to 29.35% by June 2022, which may have been influenced by specific events or changes in the company's operations. Subsequently, in the following quarters, there was a notable decline in the pretax margin, dropping to 1.64% by December 2023 and further decreasing to -3.50% by December 2024.
The significant decrease in pretax margin in the latter half of 2023 and throughout 2024 raises concerns about the company's profitability and cost management. It would be essential for Heartland Express Inc to conduct a detailed analysis to identify the factors contributing to this decrease and take appropriate actions to improve its pretax margin in the future.
Peer comparison
Dec 31, 2024