Universal Logistics (ULH) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $442.68M
• Dividend Yield: 2.76%
• Average Volume (3M): 45.62K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): ―
• Beta (1Y): 1.72
• Revenue Growth: -7.55%
• EPS Growth: -130.67%
• Country: US
• Employees: 10,821
• Sector: Industrials
• Sector Strength: 72
• Industry: Trucking
• EPS (TTM): 0.14
• Shares Outstanding: 26,350,058
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 73,652
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 45,615
• PEG Ratio: 0.02
• Price to Book (P/B): 0.74
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.26
• P/FCF Ratio: -9.72
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.40
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 0.38
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 3.40
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 4.02
• 1Y Price Target: $17.00
• Price Target Upside: 4.94% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Hold
• Number of Analyst Covering: 1
• EPS Forecast (FY): 0.92
• Revenue Forecast (FY): $1.60B

• Rating: 50 Neutral
• Price Target: $16.00 ▼(-1.23% Downside)
• Action: Reiterated Date: 03/17/26
• Date: Action: Reiterated 03/17/26

The score is held back primarily by weakened financial performance (losses and margin compression) and bearish technicals (below key moving averages with negative MACD). Improved leverage and solid operating cash flow provide partial support, while the dividend helps but does not fully offset profitability and momentum concerns.

Positive Factors

Improved leverage and balance sheet flexibility

Material deleveraging to a ~0.38 debt-to-equity ratio meaningfully improves financial flexibility. Lower leverage reduces interest expense sensitivity, increases capacity to fund operations or invest in efficiency initiatives, and creates a stronger cushion against cyclical revenue swings.

Strong operating cash flow generation

Consistent operating cash flow despite an accounting net loss indicates the core logistics operations generate real cash. This supports working-capital needs, debt servicing and the company’s ability to sustain dividends or fund strategic investments while management executes margin recovery plans.

Diversified service mix and customer verticals

A portfolio spanning contract logistics, trucking and intermodal with heavy exposure to automotive/industrial creates recurring, contract-based revenue and operational scale. Diversification across service lines and long-term customer programs helps stabilize volumes across business cycles and supports long-term client relationships.

Negative Factors

Profitability deterioration and margin compression

Sharp margin erosion and a swing to net losses reflect structural cost pressure or pricing mix issues. Sustained lower margins reduce internal reinvestment capacity, weaken returns on capital, and increase the challenge of delivering consistent earnings through normal demand cycles.

Persistent negative free cash flow

A multi-year negative free cash flow trend signals higher capex or working-capital demands that outstrip cash from operations. This increases reliance on external financing or asset sales to fund growth and dividends, constraining strategic flexibility and raising execution risk if capital markets tighten.

Underperformance in intermodal segment

A material decline and operating losses in intermodal signal a segment-specific structural weakness. Continued underperformance can depress consolidated margins, require costly restructuring or investment to regain competitiveness, and reduce the benefit of service diversification.

Universal Logistics Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. provides transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. It offers truckload services, which include dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul, and refrigerated operations; domestic and international freight forwarding, and customs brokerage services; and final mile and ground expedite services. The company transports various commodities comprising automotive parts, machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, furniture, steel, and other metals. It also provides value-added services for individual customer requirements, including material handling, consolidation, sequencing, sub-assembly, cross-dock, kitting, repacking, warehousing, and returnable container management; and intermodal support services comprising short-to-medium distance delivery of steamship and rail truck containers between the port or railhead, and the customer and drayage services. The company serves automotive, steel, oil and gas, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries, as well as other transportation companies who aggregate loads from various shippers. The company was formerly known as Universal Truckload Services, Inc. and changed its name to Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. in April 2016. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Warren, Michigan.

How the Company Makes Money

ULH generates revenue by delivering transportation and logistics services to shippers under contractual arrangements and spot-market transactions, with pricing generally based on factors such as freight volume, miles moved, equipment/driver capacity, service complexity, and contract terms. Key revenue streams include: (1) transportation services—moving freight via truckload operations and related capacity where ULH is paid linehaul and accessorial charges (e.g., fuel surcharges, detention, or other service fees, when applicable); (2) intermodal and related freight management—coordinating container/rail-based moves and associated drayage where ULH earns revenues from providing the service and managing the move; and (3) value-added logistics/contract logistics—operating dedicated or on-site logistics, warehousing, distribution, sequencing, and other supply-chain services for customers, typically earning fees tied to the scope of operations (e.g., fixed monthly management fees, per-unit handling/processing charges, or activity-based billing depending on contract structure). Profitability is influenced by utilization of assets (tractors, trailers, facilities), purchased transportation costs from third-party carriers, labor and driver costs, fuel and fuel surcharge dynamics, and the ability to secure and retain long-term customer programs (often in automotive and industrial verticals) that provide steadier volumes.

Universal Logistics Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Results deteriorated in the latest year with revenue down and a sharp margin compression that drove a swing to a net loss. Offsetting factors include improved leverage (debt-to-equity improved materially) and stronger operating cash flow, but persistently negative free cash flow and higher earnings volatility keep the score moderate.

Income Statement

Profitability and growth weakened materially in the most recent year. Revenue declined in 2025 (-4.9%) after growth in 2024, while gross margin compressed sharply (about 17.1% in 2024 to ~10.5% in 2025) and the company swung to a net loss (net margin ~-6.4% in 2025 vs. +7.0% in 2024). Longer-term results show the business can generate solid profits in stronger years (2022–2024 positive net income with mid-single-digit net margins), but the latest year indicates higher earnings volatility and/or cost pressure that weighs on the score.

Balance Sheet

Leverage improved meaningfully in 2025, with total debt dropping sharply versus 2024 and debt-to-equity improving to ~0.38 (from ~1.30 in 2024), which strengthens financial flexibility. However, profitability deterioration drove a negative return on equity in 2025, and the company has historically operated with periods of higher leverage (debt-to-equity was above 1.0 in multiple prior years). Overall, the balance sheet is better positioned today, but returns and consistency are a key watch item.

Cash Flow

Operating cash flow was strong in 2025 (up versus 2024), suggesting good cash generation despite the reported net loss, but free cash flow remained negative in both 2024 and 2025, implying elevated capital spending and/or working-capital needs. Free cash flow was positive in 2021–2022, then turned persistently negative, which reduces financial quality and increases dependence on liquidity management. The cash flow profile is supportive on operations, but the lack of consistent free cash flow is a notable weakness.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue	1.64B	1.56B	1.85B	1.66B	2.02B	1.75B
Gross Profit	182.30M	163.62M	315.88M	255.82M	352.40M	215.33M
EBITDA	154.12M	206.31M	332.40M	225.54M	318.37M	177.76M
Net Income	-40.27M	-99.87M	129.91M	92.90M	168.63M	73.73M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	1.82B	1.77B	1.79B	1.25B	1.20B	1.14B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	37.17M	37.20M	30.94M	23.28M	57.18M	21.96M
Total Debt	934.45M	203.25M	838.44M	475.54M	484.33M	537.90M
Total Liabilities	1.24B	1.23B	1.14B	721.33M	756.75M	835.28M
Stockholders Equity	578.07M	540.36M	647.02M	532.20M	446.93M	302.21M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	-36.45M	-41.13M	-139.23M	-30.31M	96.31M	44.44M
Operating Cash Flow	195.66M	183.05M	112.37M	210.25M	213.41M	83.28M
Investing Cash Flow	-425.70M	-203.45M	-462.90M	-236.77M	-103.74M	-33.23M
Financing Cash Flow	254.60M	26.09M	365.04M	-8.56M	-78.24M	-44.56M

Universal Logistics Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Positive
• Last Price: 16.20
• 50DMA: Positive
• 100DMA: Positive
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Negative
• RSI: Neutral
• STOCH: Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ULH, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 16.2 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 16.04, below the 50-day MA of 16.66, and below the 200-day MA of 20.10, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.19 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 53.38 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 70.27 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ULH.

Universal Logistics Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
Sector *	63 Neutral	$10.79B	15.43	7.44%	2.01%	2.89%	-14.66%
CVLG	60 Neutral	$632.85M	76.15	1.72%	1.23%	1.62%	-22.52%
ARCB	56 Neutral	$1.99B	28.19	4.61%	0.62%	-5.34%	-48.16%
MRTN	54 Neutral	$986.66M	53.18	2.27%	2.07%	-9.74%	-42.57%
ULH	50 Neutral	$442.68M	-2.54	-6.38%	2.76%	-7.55%	-130.67%
WERN	49 Neutral	$1.63B	-126.32	1.78%	1.84%	-3.42%	-43.86%
HTLD	46 Neutral	$742.02M	-13.41	-6.71%	0.87%	-19.56%	-54.39%

Universal Logistics Corporate Events

Universal Logistics Reports Weak Q4 Results, Declares Dividend

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc., based in Warren, Mich., reported sharply lower fourth-quarter 2025 results on March 13, 2026, as soft market conditions and underperformance in its intermodal segment weighed on earnings. Consolidated operating revenue fell to $385.4 million from $465.1 million a year earlier, net income dropped to $3.7 million from $20.2 million, and operating margin compressed to 4.5% from 8.2%, despite relatively stable performance in contract logistics and trucking.

Segment results highlighted the company’s shifting mix, with contract logistics revenue down 12.6% to $268.6 million largely due to the completion of a major specialty project in 2024, intermodal revenue sliding 27.9% to $52.7 million alongside deeper operating losses, and trucking revenue declining 23.6% to $64.1 million even as per-load pricing improved. Universal ended 2025 with $26.8 million in cash, $10.4 million in marketable securities and $802.3 million in debt, and its board underscored ongoing capital returns by declaring a quarterly cash dividend of $0.105 per share, payable on April 3, 2026 to shareholders of record on March 23, 2026.

The most recent analyst rating on (ULH) stock is a Hold with a $15.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Universal Logistics stock, see the ULH Stock Forecast page.