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C. H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 lowered, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Operating income rose 18.4%: Income from operations reached $255.7 million. Adjusted income from operations rose 19.5% to $263.2 million, which management linked to operating leverage in the model. Source
  • NAST income and margin rose: NAST revenue rose 23.1% to $3.6 billion on higher truckload and LTL pricing. Adjusted gross profit rose 8.6% to $469.4 million; adjusted operating margin excluding restructuring was 40.9%. Source
  • Global Forwarding income and margin rose: Global Forwarding revenue rose 12.4% to $896.6 million on higher air and ocean pricing, while adjusted gross profit rose 0.7%. Excluding restructuring, adjusted operating margin was 33.4%. Source
  • Spot costs rose; gross profit flat: Gross profit per shipment was flat and gross profit per mile rose 2.0%, as truckload linehaul rates rose 25.5% against 29.0% for cost. Source
  • NAST volume outgrew the market: NAST volume rose about 1.5% while the Cass index fell 3.3%, the 13th consecutive quarter in which NAST growth exceeded the index. Source
  • Operating cash flow fell $191.2 million: Cash from operations fell $191.2 million from the prior-year quarter. Management tied the drop mainly to changes in working capital. Source
  • Working capital absorbed cash: Net operating working capital rose $196.4 million sequentially, against a $30.9 million sequential decrease a year earlier, a $227.3 million swing in cash. Source
  • Cash returned to shareholders rose: Cash returned to shareholders totaled $301.3 million, up 87.5%. Repurchases of common stock were $226.0 million and cash dividends were $75.3 million. Source

“we hit our mid-cycle operating margin targets in both NAST and Global Forwarding in the second quarter of 2026.”

President and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Bozeman

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Capital expenditures SourceFull year 2026$65 million to $75 millionLowered from $75 million to $85 million
Effective tax rate SourceFull year 202618% to 20%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: The 2026 capital expenditure range was lowered to $65 million to $75 million from $75 million to $85 million. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose on higher pricing: Total revenues rose 19.3% to $4.9 billion, driven by higher pricing in truckload, LTL, air and ocean. Gross profit rose 6.8% to $725.9 million; adjusted gross profit rose 6.5% to $738.0 million. Source
  • Operating income rose 18.4%: Income from operations reached $255.7 million. Adjusted income from operations rose 19.5% to $263.2 million, which management linked to operating leverage in the model. Source
  • Net income and diluted EPS rose: Net income was $186.8 million, up 22.5%. Diluted EPS was $1.56, up 23.8%; adjusted diluted EPS was $1.61, up 24.8%. Source
  • Six-month revenue rose 9.3%: For the six months, total revenues rose 9.3% to $8.9 billion and adjusted gross profit rose 2.4% to $1.4 billion. Income from operations rose 9.8% to $431.4 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • NAST income and margin rose: NAST revenue rose 23.1% to $3.6 billion on higher truckload and LTL pricing. Adjusted gross profit rose 8.6% to $469.4 million; adjusted operating margin excluding restructuring was 40.9%. Source
  • Global Forwarding income and margin rose: Global Forwarding revenue rose 12.4% to $896.6 million on higher air and ocean pricing, while adjusted gross profit rose 0.7%. Excluding restructuring, adjusted operating margin was 33.4%. Source
  • Air profit rose on per-ton gains: Air adjusted gross profit rose 23.4% as adjusted gross profit per metric ton rose 33.5%, while metric tons shipped fell 7.5%. Source
  • Ocean gross profit declined: Ocean adjusted gross profit fell 2.8%: gross profit per shipment was down 4.0%, partly offset by shipments up 1.0%. Customs adjusted gross profit fell 9.4% on a 2.0% lower transaction volume. Source
  • Managed Solutions gross profit grew: Managed Solutions adjusted gross profit rose 11.9% on higher freight under management, reported within All Other and Corporate. Source

“We’re highly confident in our ability to continue executing on all of our strategic initiatives, and the strategies that our team is executing are built to be effective in any market environment,”

President and Chief Executive Officer, Dave Bozeman

Products and customers

  • LTL gross profit rose 21.7%: LTL adjusted gross profit rose 21.7% in the NAST segment, with gross profit per order up 19.5% and LTL volume up 2.0%. Enterprise LTL adjusted gross profit rose 21.8% for the quarter. Source
  • Truckload gross profit edged up: NAST truckload adjusted gross profit rose 0.2% on volume up 0.5%. Enterprise truckload adjusted gross profit fell 1.4% to $264.2 million. Source
  • Robinson Fresh gross profit rose: Robinson Fresh adjusted gross profit rose 6.5% to $47.3 million. Management attributed the increase to foodservice customer volume. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating expenses rose 1.0%: Operating expenses rose 1.0% to $482.2 million. Higher incentive compensation lifted personnel costs, partly offset by cost optimization and productivity gains. Source
  • NAST expenses rose on claims: NAST operating expenses rose 4.2%, mainly from higher claims expenses and incentive compensation, partly offset by cost optimization and productivity improvements. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin reached 34.7%: Adjusted operating margin of 34.7% rose 360 basis points from 31.1%. Adjusted operating margin excluding restructuring was 35.7%, up 390 basis points. Source
  • Spot costs rose; gross profit flat: Gross profit per shipment was flat and gross profit per mile rose 2.0%, as truckload linehaul rates rose 25.5% against 29.0% for cost. Source
  • Interest expense rose slightly: Interest and other expense, net was $17.9 million, including $16.9 million of interest expense and a $1.4 million foreign currency net loss. Source
  • Effective tax rate 21.5%: The effective tax rate was 21.5% in the quarter against 21.4% a year earlier, and 17.4% for the six months against 17.9%. Source

Demand and the freight market

  • Freight market still in trough: Management said the freight market is still in the trough of its demand cycle, with the Cass index down for a 15th consecutive quarter. Source
  • NAST volume outgrew the market: NAST volume rose about 1.5% while the Cass index fell 3.3%, the 13th consecutive quarter in which NAST growth exceeded the index. Source
  • Global Forwarding handled disruptions: Global Forwarding is helping customers through ongoing disruptions across global shipping networks, applying the same revenue management disciplines used in NAST. Source

Cash flow and working capital

  • Operating cash flow fell $191.2 million: Cash from operations fell $191.2 million from the prior-year quarter. Management tied the drop mainly to changes in working capital. Source
  • Working capital absorbed cash: Net operating working capital rose $196.4 million sequentially, against a $30.9 million sequential decrease a year earlier, a $227.3 million swing in cash. Source
  • Six-month operating cash lower: Six-month operating cash flow was $104,497 thousand, against $333,659 thousand a year earlier, per the statement of cash flow. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Cash returned to shareholders rose: Cash returned to shareholders totaled $301.3 million, up 87.5%. Repurchases of common stock were $226.0 million and cash dividends were $75.3 million. Source
  • Capital expenditures totaled $18.2 million: Capital expenditures were $18.2 million in the quarter. Source
  • Share count down 1.1%: Diluted weighted average shares were down 1.1% year over year, reflecting share repurchases over the past twelve months. Source
  • Acquisition cash outlay in six months: Six-month cash used for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, was $78,948 thousand. The release does not name the acquired business. Source
  • Long-term debt rose on borrowings: Six-month borrowings were $1,952,000 thousand and repayments $1,357,000 thousand. Long-term debt was $1,685,017 thousand at June 30, up from $1,089,438 thousand at year end. Source

Strategy and Lean AI

  • Productivity up over 60% since 2022: Management said productivity improved by over 60% since the end of 2022 in both NAST and Global Forwarding, through its Lean AI strategy. Source
  • Global Forwarding productivity up 15%: Global Forwarding productivity improved more than 15% year over year in the quarter, as the team moves from manual, reactive work to automated workflows. Source
  • Lean AI aimed at service too: Management said the Lean AI strategy is meant to improve service to customers and carriers as well as productivity, and cited customer satisfaction scores. Source

Workforce and restructuring

  • Average headcount down 10.8%: Average employee headcount fell 10.8% year over year. Management cited cost optimization and productivity improvements as partly offsetting personnel cost increases. Source
  • Severance from workforce reductions: Severance and other personnel expenses were $8.0 million in the quarter, linked to workforce reductions. A $0.5 million net gain came from a lease termination. Source
  • Global Forwarding headcount fell 16.6%: Global Forwarding average headcount fell 16.6% year over year, compared with 11.6% in NAST. Source

Coming up, as management said on 29 July 2026

  • Global Forwarding automation continues: Management said the move from manual, reactive work to automated workflows in Global Forwarding is still ongoing, with encouraging progress in several areas. Source
  • Continued focus on service and cost: Management said it will keep focusing on differentiated service, disciplined execution and a lower cost to serve for customers and carriers. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
NAST truckload volume change Source0.5% increase
NAST truckload and LTL volume change Source1.5% increase
LTL volume change Source2.0% increase
Cass Freight Shipment Index change Source3.3% decline
Truckload linehaul rate per mile, excluding fuel surcharges Sourceapproximately 25.5% increase
Truckload linehaul cost per mile, excluding fuel surcharges Source29.0% increase
Truckload adjusted gross profit per mile Source2.0% increase
LTL adjusted gross profit per order Source19.5% increase
Ocean shipments change Source1.0% increase
Air metric tons shipped change Source7.5% decline

Risks management discussed

  • External: Truckload spot market costs rose significantly, while NAST gross profit per shipment was held flat, according to management. Source
  • Operational: Higher claims expenses were a main driver of the increase in NAST operating expenses. Source
  • Demand: Management described the freight market as in the trough of its demand cycle, with the Cass index down for 15 consecutive quarters. Source
  • External: Global Forwarding customers face ongoing disruptions across global shipping networks, which the team is working through. Source
  • Financial: The working capital build reduced operating cash flow in the quarter; the release does not state when it is expected to reverse. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: The CEO said the company committed to higher highs and higher lows across cycles, and that the quarter is another example of delivering on that commitment. Source
  • Met: Management said mid-cycle operating margin targets were achieved in both NAST and Global Forwarding while the freight market was still in its trough. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.