Heartland Express (HTLD) reported $242.58 million in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, representing a year-over-year decline of 11.9%. EPS of -$0.02 for the same period compares to $0.06 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $254.84 million, representing a surprise of -4.81%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +50.00%, with the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.04.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Heartland Express performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Operating ratio: 99.6% compared to the 101.4% average estimate based on two analysts.
• Fuel surcharge revenue: $28 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $33.20 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -29.5%.
• Operating revenue, excluding fuel surcharge revenue: $214.58 million compared to the $221.65 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -8.9% year over year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Heartland Express here>>>

Shares of Heartland Express have returned +6.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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