--- title: "Heartland Express | 8-K: FY2026 Q1 Revenue Beats Estimate at USD 176.26 M" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/284303903.md" datetime: "2026-04-28T03:18:56.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/284303903.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/284303903.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/284303903.md) --- # Heartland Express | 8-K: FY2026 Q1 Revenue Beats Estimate at USD 176.26 M Revenue: As of FY2026 Q1, the actual value is USD 176.26 M, beating the estimate of USD 175.4 M. EPS: As of FY2026 Q1, the actual value is USD -0.06, beating the estimate of USD -0.1037. EBIT: As of FY2026 Q1, the actual value is USD -1.292 M. #### Operating Revenue - Operating Revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2026, was $176.3 million, compared to $219.4 million in the same period of 2025 . - Fuel surcharge revenues were $22.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to $26.3 million in the same period of 2025 . - Operating revenue excluding fuel surcharge revenue was $153.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, down from $193.1 million in the same period of 2025 . #### Net Income / Loss - Net loss was - $4.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to a net loss of - $13.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 . - Basic loss per share was - $0.06 during the quarter, compared to - $0.18 in the same period of 2025 . - Net loss as a percentage of operating revenues was 2.7% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 6.3% in the first quarter of 2025 . #### Operating Profit / Loss and Margin - Operating loss was - $3.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to - $14.9 million in the same period of 2025 . - Operating Ratio was 101.9% for the three months ended March 31, 2026, an improvement of 490 basis points compared to 106.8% in Q1 2025 . - Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio was 101.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to 107.1% in the first quarter of 2025 . - Adjusted operating loss was - $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to - $13.6 million in the same period of 2025 . #### Operating Costs - Total operating expenses were $179.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to $234.3 million in the same period of 2025 . - Salaries, wages, and benefits were $69.1 million in Q1 2026, down from $93.2 million in Q1 2025 . - Rent and purchased transportation was $10.5 million in Q1 2026, down from $14.3 million in Q1 2025 . - Fuel expenses were $32.7 million in Q1 2026, down from $37.9 million in Q1 2025 . - Operations and maintenance costs were $11.9 million in Q1 2026, down from $17.3 million in Q1 2025 . - Operating taxes and licenses were $4.0 million in Q1 2026, down from $4.7 million in Q1 2025 . - Insurance and claims were $12.8 million in Q1 2026, up from $11.9 million in Q1 2025 . - Communications and utilities were $1.6 million in Q1 2026, down from $2.3 million in Q1 2025 . - Depreciation and amortization were $35.2 million in Q1 2026, down from $41.6 million in Q1 2025 . - Other operating expenses were $9.2 million in Q1 2026, down from $12.8 million in Q1 2025 . - Gain on disposal of property and equipment was - $7.3 million in Q1 2026, compared to - $1.8 million in Q1 2025 . #### Cash Flow - Net cash flows from operations for the first three months of 2026 were $23.2 million, or 13.1% of operating revenue . - Cash used for repayment of debt and financing leases was $9.9 million . - Cash used for dividends paid was $1.6 million . - Cash provided by investing activities was $14.9 million from net property and equipment transactions . #### Balance Sheet Metrics - Cash balances were $44.5 million as of March 31, 2026, an increase of $26.0 million since December 31, 2025 . - Total Assets were $1.2 billion as of March 31, 2026 . - Stockholders’ Equity was $749.0 million as of March 31, 2026 . - Debt was $149.9 million at March 31, 2026, reduced from $447.3 million for the CFI acquisition in August 2022 and $46.8 million from the Smith acquisition in May 2022 . - The acquisition-related debt and finance lease obligations of Smith Transport were fully retired as of March 31, 2026 . - There were no borrowings under the Company’s unsecured line of credit at March 31, 2026 . - The Company had $88.8 million in available borrowing capacity on the line of credit as of March 31, 2026, after considering $11.2 million of outstanding letters of credit . - Trade receivables, net, were $77.8 million as of March 31, 2026, compared to $74.2 million as of December 31, 2025 . - Property and equipment, net, was $627.1 million as of March 31, 2026, compared to $667.2 million as of December 31, 2025 . - Goodwill remained at $322.6 million as of March 31, 2026 . - Total current liabilities were $112.6 million as of March 31, 2026, compared to $110.2 million as of December 31, 2025 . - Long-term debt and finance lease liabilities (less current portion) were $149.9 million as of March 31, 2026, compared to $154.1 million as of December 31, 2025 . #### Other Financial & Operational Metrics - The average age of Heartland Express, Inc.’s consolidated tractor fleet was 2.6 years as of both March 31, 2026, and March 31, 2025 . - The average age of Heartland Express, Inc.’s consolidated trailer fleet was 7.3 years as of March 31, 2026, compared to 7.4 years as of March 31, 2025 . - A regular dividend of $0.02 per share was declared during the first quarter of 2026 and paid on April 3, 2026 . - Heartland Express, Inc. has paid cumulative cash dividends of $563.0 million over the past ninety-one consecutive quarters since 2003 . - Outstanding shares at March 31, 2026, were 77.5 million . - A total of 2.8 million shares of common stock have been repurchased for $34.7 million over the past five years . - Heartland Express, Inc. has the ability to repurchase an additional 4.8 million shares under the current authorization . #### Outlook / Guidance - Heartland Express, Inc. expects to continue disposing of excess trailers as used equipment market conditions improve . The company anticipates net capital expenditures of approximately $10 million to $20 million and $25 million to $35 million in gains on disposal of property and equipment during calendar year 2026 . While meaningful improvements in freight demand and pricing are believed to have started, they may not fully materialize until later in 2026 . ### Related Stocks - [HTLD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/HTLD.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Heartland Express Adjusts Executive Salaries and Stock Awards](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286898543.md) - [The Home Depot Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results; Reaffirms Fiscal 2026 Guidance | HD Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286890512.md) - [ONWARD Medical to Announce First Quarter 2026 Results on May 26, 2026 | ONWRY Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286858298.md) - [GDEV announces results for the first quarter of 2026 | GDEV Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286909689.md) - [Yext to Announce First Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Financial Results on June 2, 2026 | YEXT Stock News](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286970613.md)