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what it is
Universal Logistics moves freight, brokers customs, and handles last-mile deliveries across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Colombia.
how it gets paid
FY2025 operating revenue was about $1.56B (down ~16% vs ~$1.85B in FY2024) per the FY2025 10-K summary; results include a material intermodal impairment charge.
what just happened
Q4 2025 release: ~$385M operating revenue and ~$0.14 diluted EPS (small quarterly profit inside a FY2025 GAAP loss year—see FY2025 10-K diluted EPS, often around $(3.8) including impairment).
At a glance
C++ balance sheet — some cracks in the foundation
25/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
2.9% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
11.2% return on capital — nothing to write home about
$4.93 fy2024 eps est
xvary composite: 33/100 — weak
What they do
Universal Logistics moves freight, brokers customs, and handles last-mile deliveries across the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Colombia.
Universal bundles freight hauling, customs, and final-mile work into one contract. asset-light means it owns fewer trucks and terminals, so you are buying coordination, not a fleet. With 10,821 employees and four countries on the map, leaving means rebuilding your freight links from scratch.
How they make money
~$1.56B
FY2025 operating revenue · down ~16% vs FY2024 (~$1.85B) per annual filing summary
FY2025 total operating revenue
~$1.56B
~−16%
The products that matter
port and rail container transport
Intermodal Drayage
2025 revenue outlook tied to +5% growth
This is where the snapshot still shows some life. If container activity keeps recovering, this side has a shot at carrying more of the mix. You want that, because the bigger truckload piece has been doing the opposite.
volume recovery
hauls oversized industrial freight
Specialized Flatbed
top 30 carrier exposure
This matters because industrial freight is cyclical. When factory output or project work slows, specialized hauling feels it fast. If you own ULH, you are making a call on freight demand as much as management skill.
industrial cycle
brokerage and managed transportation
Asset-Light Logistics
~7% op. margin (segment read)
Asset-light sounds less risky than owning trucks. The ~7% read here is a segment / line-item margin in this feed—not the ~11% company operating margin in key numbers. Either way, there is not much room for sloppy execution, weak pricing, or empty miles.
thin margin
Key numbers
$382M
market cap
You are paying small-cap money for a company that just printed ~$1.56B FY2025 operating revenue after a freight downturn and impairment.
~$1.56B
FY2025 sales
FY2025 operating revenue from the annual filing summary—still a high sales-to-mcap multiple, but off the old $1.8B baseline.
FY25 loss
GAAP net result
FY2025 includes a large non-cash intermodal impairment; use the 10-K net income line—not a stale double-digit operating margin—from the same fiscal year.
~$670M
long-term debt
Dec 31, 2025 balance sheet read from the FY2025 10-K summary (~$670M long-term debt, plus current portion—confirm exact lines in EDGAR).
Financial health
C++
strength
- balance sheet grade C++ — below average — limited financial resources
- risk rank 4 — safer than 20% of stocks
- price stability 20 / 100
- long-term debt ~$670M LT debt (Dec 31, 2025 filing summary)
Universal Logistics FY2025 Form 10-K (filed Mar 2026) · SEC EDGAR 10-K index (CIK 1308208)
Total return vs. market
Return history isn't available for ULH right now.
source: institutional data · return history unavailable
What just happened
loss year + small Q4 profit
Q4 2025: ~$385M operating revenue and ~$0.14 diluted EPS—not ~$465M (that neighborhood matches Q4 2024 in the same release tables).
FY2025 is a GAAP loss year (~$(3.8) diluted EPS in filing summaries) driven by a large intermodal impairment; the small Q4 profit does not undo the full-year result. Match every line to the FY2025 10-K income statement.
~$385M
Q4 2025 revenue
~$0.14
Q EPS (co.)
~$1.56B
FY2025 revenue
the number that mattered
~$0.14 Q4 diluted EPS is a small quarterly positive inside a FY2025 loss year—read the FY2025 10-K diluted EPS line for the full picture.
FY2025 10-K (CIK 1308208) · Q4 2025 earnings release (Mar 2026) via investors.universallogistics.com
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What could go wrong
ULH does not need a disaster to disappoint you. It needs freight to recover while ~$670M long-term debt (Dec 31, 2025 filing summary) still anchors the balance sheet after a FY2025 impairment.
med
debt is larger than the equity story
Long-term debt is about $670M (Dec 31, 2025) against a market cap near ~$0.38B. If freight stays soft, the debt stack still gets first claim on patience.
leverage after an impairment year
med
profit is too thin for comfort
Q4 2025 can show a small net profit on ~$385M revenue while FY2025 is still a loss year after impairment—read net margin on the same fiscal period in the 10-K.
small profit base, real financing burden
med
the weaker segment still drives the mix
Truckload & Brokerage represents 61% of segment revenue at $1.1B, and it fell 12%. Intermodal & Value-Add grew 5%, but it is still smaller at $0.7B. You need the healthier side to matter more before the story gets cleaner.
core revenue mix still leans the wrong way
med
the dividend is support, not protection
The quarterly dividend is $0.105 per share, or about a 2.9% yield. That helps the holding story a little. It does not protect you if earnings stay lumpy and cash needs shift toward debt service.
income appeal is modest, not structural
Put it together and you get a stock where one weak freight patch can hit volume, margin, and debt coverage at the same time.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
profit quality
whether net income gets meaningfully above $3.7M
One quarter at ~$0.14 EPS on ~$385M revenue does not prove the business has turned if FY2025 GAAP is still a loss—watch FY2026 operating trends.
segment mix
intermodal growth versus truckload decline
Intermodal & Value-Add grew 5%, while Truckload & Brokerage fell 12%. You want the healthier side to keep gaining share of the revenue base.
capital return
april 3, 2026 dividend payment
The declared $0.105 dividend is payable on April 3, 2026. For this stock, routine capital return also acts as a small signal that cash has not fallen apart.
integration risk
parsec costs and the promised payoff in 2027
Management said Parsec costs are delaying cash flow until 2027. That is a long wait for a small cap carrying this much debt, so any slippage matters fast.
Analyst rankings
earnings predictability
25 / 100
Low predictability means the earnings line is lumpy. in human-speak, this is not the kind of business you trust to print clean, repeatable quarters.
risk rank
4
A 4 means it is safer than only 20% of stocks. That is the market's polite way of saying you are in the rougher part of the small-cap pool.
price stability
20 / 100
A 20 / 100 stability score means the stock has not acted calm. If you own it, your ride has been bumpier than the average transport name.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutional ownership data for ULH is being compiled.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
n/a
n/a
$17
current price
n/a
target midpoint · n/a from current
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