Forward Air Corporation Fundamental Analysis (NASDAQ: FWRD)
Forward Air Corporation Fundamental Analysis (NASDAQ: FWRD)
Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ: FWRD) shows moderate financial fundamentals with a PE ratio of -2.13, profit margin of -10.10%, and ROE of 49.67%. The company generates $2.7B in annual revenue with weak year-over-year growth of 0.84%.
Key Strengths
Areas of Concern
The stock receives a Fundamental Health Score of 252.0/100 based on profitability, valuation, growth, and balance sheet metrics. The A grade reflects excellent fundamentals and strong overall stability.
Fundamental Health Score
We analyze FWRD's fundamental strength across five key dimensions:
Efficiency Score
WeakFWRD struggles to generate sufficient returns from assets.
Valuation Score
ExcellentFWRD trades at attractive valuation levels.
Growth Score
ModerateFWRD shows steady but slowing expansion.
Financial Health Score
ExcellentFWRD maintains a strong and stable balance sheet.
Profitability Score
ModerateFWRD maintains healthy but balanced margins.
Key Financial Metrics
Is FWRD Expensive or Cheap?
P/E Ratio
FWRD trades at -2.13 times earnings. This suggests potential undervaluation.
PEG Ratio
When adjusting for growth, FWRD's PEG of 0.01 indicates potential undervaluation.
Price to Book
The market values Forward Air Corporation at -5.60 times its book value. This may indicate undervaluation.
EV/EBITDA
Enterprise value stands at 17.50 times EBITDA. This signals the market has high growth expectations.
How Well Does FWRD Make Money?
Net Profit Margin
For every $100 in sales, Forward Air Corporation keeps $-10.10 as profit after all expenses.
Operating Margin
Core operations generate -5.46 in profit for every $100 in revenue, before interest and taxes.
ROE
Management delivers $49.67 in profit for every $100 of shareholder equity.
ROA
Forward Air Corporation generates $-10.63 in profit for every $100 in assets, demonstrating efficient asset deployment.
Following the Money - Real Cash Generation
Operating Cash Flow
Forward Air Corporation generates limited operating cash flow of $55.57M, signaling weaker underlying cash strength.
Free Cash Flow
Forward Air Corporation generates weak or negative free cash flow of $33.12M, restricting financial flexibility.
FCF Per Share
Each share generates $0.98 in free cash annually.
FCF Yield
FWRD converts 5.48% of its market value into free cash.
Financial Ratios Analysis
Valuation Ratios
P/E Ratio
Price to earnings ratio
-2.13
vs 25 benchmark
PEG Ratio
Price/earnings to growth ratio
0.009
vs 25 benchmark
P/B Ratio
Price to book value ratio
-5.60
vs 25 benchmark
P/S Ratio
Price to sales ratio
0.23
vs 25 benchmark
Financial Health
Debt/Equity
Total debt to shareholders' equity
-21.02
vs 25 benchmark
Current Ratio
Current assets to current liabilities
1.41
vs 25 benchmark
Efficiency Ratios
ROE
Return on equity percentage
49.67
vs 25 benchmark
ROA
Return on assets percentage
-0.11
vs 25 benchmark
ROCE
Return on capital employed
-0.07
vs 25 benchmark
How FWRD Stacks Against Its Sector Peers
| Metric | FWRD Value | Sector Average | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio | -2.13 | 27.44 | Better (Cheaper) |
| ROE | 4967.41% | 1185.00% | Excellent |
| Net Margin | -10.10% | -2.00% (disorted) | Weak |
| Debt/Equity | -21.02 | 0.85 | Strong (Low Leverage) |
| Current Ratio | 1.41 | 22.12 | Neutral |
| ROA | -10.63% | -1355419.00% (disorted) | Weak |
FWRD outperforms its industry in 3 out of 6 key metrics, particularly excelling in ROE, but lagging in Net Margin.
Historical Growth Performance
5-Year Growth Trajectory
This section reviews Forward Air Corporation's 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) and compares its performance against the typical investment style of its industry.
Revenue CAGR
75.33%
Industry Style: Cyclical, Value, Infrastructure
High GrowthEPS CAGR
-505.21%
Industry Style: Cyclical, Value, Infrastructure
DecliningFCF CAGR
-53.23%
Industry Style: Cyclical, Value, Infrastructure
Declining