3 Undervalued Ground Transportation Stocks for Thursday, April 23

By Rosalio Madrigal
April 23, 2026
Diamond graphic indicating best value stocks in their industry
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Based on key financial metrics such as the price-to-sales ratio, shareholder yield and the price-earnings ratio, the following 3 stocks made the list for top value stocks in the Ground Transportation industry. Those looking for value stocks to add to their portfolio may want to use this list as a starting point for further investment research.

Why Focus on Undervalued Ground Transportation Stocks?

Value investors seek to buy stocks at a discount to their intrinsic value. Long-term returns show that such strategies are advantageous. Value stocks, as a group, tend to outperform growth stocks over extended periods of time. Typically, value investors perform financial analysis of numerous metrics, don’t follow the herd and are long-term investors.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade is derived from a stock’s Value Score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

What Goes Into AAII’s Value Grade?

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data as well as the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movement. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors with that task.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A–F grades for more than just value. It is possible for a stock to appear cheap based on one valuation metric but appear expensive on another. It is also possible for one valuation ratio to be associated with outperforming stocks during certain periods of time but not others. Some stocks may even have null values for certain metrics like the price-earnings ratio or the price-to-book ratio but not others. An example of this would be a company with losses instead of profits or a negative book value because of heavy borrowing. Negative earnings or book value result in non-meaningful ratios that are left blank or null.

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3 Undervalued Ground Transportation Stocks

Of course, there are countless value stocks that are worth mentioning, but this is a concise list of the top 3 undervalued stocks in the Ground Transportation industry for Thursday, April 23, 2026. Let’s take a closer look at their individual scores to see how they measure up against each other and the Ground Transportation industry median.

Company Ticker Price/Sales Price/Earnings EV/EBITDA Shareholder Yield Price/Book Value Price/Free Cash Flow Value Grade
Heartland Express, Inc. HTLD 1.12 na 10.7 2.0% 1.19 na B
Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. ULH 0.41 na 8.2 1.7% 1.18 na A
Werner Enterprises, Inc. WERN 0.68 na 7.9 5.3% 1.46 na A

The Value Grade is assigned based on how each stock’s composite valuation compares to all other stocks.

The process for assigning grades starts with each variable for a given stock. The percentile rankings for all valid ratios that a stock has are calculated. So, for instance, a stock could have a price-to-book ranking in the 43rd percentile, a price-earnings ranking in the 67th percentile, a price-to-sales ranking in the 23rd percentile, etc. Then, those rankings are averaged for each stock. (A minimum of two valid variables are required, though all six will be used if available.)

Once the average of the individual variables is calculated, that average is ranked against all stocks. Put another way, each stock’s composite valuation is compared to all other stocks. These ranks are then sorted into quintiles from the cheapest 20% (a grade of A) to the most expensive 20% (a grade of F).

As always, we recommend that you conduct proper due diligence and research before investing in any security. We also suggest that investors utilize numerous grades, not just value, when it comes to deciding whether a company is a good fit for their allocation needs.

Heartland Express, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score HTLD Industry Median
Price/Sales 34 1.12 1.30
Price/Earnings na na 36.5
EV/EBITDA 39 10.7 13.2
Shareholder Yield 31 2.0% 0.6%
Price/Book Value 30 1.19 1.98
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 30.9

Heartland Express, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides short, medium, and long-haul truckload carrier and transportation services in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. It primarily provides nationwide asset-based dry van truckload services for shippers; cross-border freight and other transportation services; and temperature-controlled truckload services. The company offers its services under the Heartland Express, Millis Transfer, Smith Transport, and CFI brand names. It primarily serves retailers, manufacturers, and parcel carriers in the consumer goods, appliances, food products, and automotive industries. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Heartland Express, Inc. has a Value Score of 77, which is considered to be undervalued.

When you look at Heartland Express, Inc.’s price-to-sales ratio at 1.12 compared to the industry median at 1.30, this company has a lower price relative to revenue compared to its peers. This could make Heartland Express, Inc.’s stock more attractive for value investors.

Now, let’s assess Heartland Express, Inc.’s EV/EBITDA ratio, also known as enterprise multiple. At 10.7, when compared to the industry median of 13.2, the company may be considered undervalued in relation to its peers. Value investors could use the enterprise multiple to identify stocks that are considered overvalued or undervalued relative to their industry.

Shareholder yield is the sum of a stock’s dividend yield (paid over previous 12 months minus special dividends) and the percentage of net share buybacks over the previous 12 months. Heartland Express, Inc.’s shareholder yield is higher than its industry median ratio of 0.60%. Value investors may look for an attractive shareholder yield because it can be a powerful tool for identifying if the company has a good management team.

As one of the most common value metrics, the price-to-book ratio evaluates a company’s current market price relative to its book value. Heartland Express, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is lower than its industry median ratio of 1.98. This could make Heartland Express, Inc. more attractive to investors looking for a new addition to their portfolio.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score ULH Industry Median
Price/Sales 16 0.41 1.30
Price/Earnings na na 36.5
EV/EBITDA 26 8.2 13.2
Shareholder Yield 32 1.7% 0.6%
Price/Book Value 30 1.18 1.98
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 30.9

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. provides customized transportation and logistics solutions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. It operates through three segments: Contract Logistics, Intermodal, and Trucking. The Contract Logistics segment offers value-added and dedicated transportation services to support inbound logistics and industrial manufacturers and major retailers, including material handling, consolidation, sequencing, sub-assembly, cross-dock services, kitting, repacking, warehousing, returnable container management, and rail lift services. This segment also provides dedicated services which involve short-haul or round-trip moves within a defined geographic area provided through a network of union and non-union employee drivers, owner-operators, and contract drivers. The Intermodal segment offers local and regional drayage services through company-managed terminals using a combination of owner-operators, company equipment, and third-party capacity providers comprising steamship-truck, rail-truck, and support services. The Trucking segment engages in dry van, flatbed, heavy-haul and refrigerated operations for transporting various general commodities, such as automotive parts, machinery, building materials, paper, food, consumer goods, furniture, steel, other metals, and other industrial and consumer goods. The company is also involved in brokerage activities, as well as provision of support services. It serves automotive, retail and consumer goods, metals, and energy and manufacturing industries. 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 1981 and is headquartered in Warren, Michigan.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.98.

You can read more about Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

Werner Enterprises, Inc.’s Value Grade

Value Grade:

Metric Score WERN Industry Median
Price/Sales 24 0.68 1.30
Price/Earnings na na 36.5
EV/EBITDA 24 7.9 13.2
Shareholder Yield 14 5.3% 0.6%
Price/Book Value 39 1.46 1.98
Price/Free Cash Flow na na 30.9

Werner Enterprises, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in interstate and intrastate commerce in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and internationally. The company operates a fleet of medium-to-long-haul vans that transport various consumer nondurable products and other commodities in truckload quantities using dry van trailers; the expedited fleet, which provides time-sensitive truckload services using driver teams; a regional short-haul fleet for truckload van service; and temperature-controlled fleet, which offers truckload services for temperature-sensitive products using temperature-controlled trailers to retail distribution center or manufacturing facility, utilizing either dry van or specialized trailers. It also provides non-asset-based transportation and logistics services, comprising truckload logistics, which uses contracted carriers to complete shipments for brokerage customers and freight management customers, which it offers logistics management services and solutions; intermodal, which offers rail transportation through alliances with rail and drayage providers as an alternative to truck transportation; and werner final mile offers residential and commercial deliveries of large or heavy items using third-party agents and independent contractors. In addition, the company sells used trucks and trailers; and trades used trucks to original equipment manufacturers. It transports retail store merchandise, consumer products, food and beverage products and manufactured products. As of December 31, 2025, it had a fleet of 7,100 trucks, which included 6,785 that were company-operated, as well as 315 owned and operated by independent contractors; 28,780 trailers that comprised dry vans, flatbeds, and temperature-controlled, and other trailers; and 27 drayage company trucks and 170 Final Mile delivery trucks. Werner Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are value and so on.

Werner Enterprises, Inc. has a Value Score of 90, which is considered to be undervalued.

Werner Enterprises, Inc.’s price-to-book ratio is higher than its peers. This could make Werner Enterprises, Inc. less attractive for value investors when compared to the industry median at 1.98.

You can read more about Werner Enterprises, Inc.’s key financial metrics like shareholder yield, price-to-free-cash-flow and EV/EBITDA ratio, or learn more about its Momentum and Growth Grades, by subscribing to A+ Investor.

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Other Ground Transportation Stock Grades

Value is just one of the five Stock Grades included in our A+ Investor service. AAII members can see the top-graded stocks—those with grades of A or B for value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality—on the A+ Stock Grades Screener.

Also, if you want full access to all of AAII’s premium services, you can subscribe to one convenient bundled plan called AAII Platinum where you can try out A+ Investor, AAII Dividend Investing, the Stock Superstars Report, Growth Investing and VMQ Stocks. With the other premium services, you can dive deep into additional metrics, portfolios, commentary and information about Ground Transportation stocks as well as other industrys.

Choosing Which of the 3 Best Ground Transportation Stocks Is Right for You

Choosing which value stocks to invest in will ultimately depend on your individual goals and allocation; however, comparing similar value stocks in the same industry can help you analyze which might be better investments for you in the long run. So, let’s take a look at the Value Grade for all of our stocks.

  • Heartland Express, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of B.
  • Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.
  • Werner Enterprises, Inc. stock has a Value Grade of A.

Now that you have a bit more background about each of the 3 undervalued stocks in the Ground Transportation industry as well as their overall grades, it’s time for you to conduct additional research to see if these could fit your portfolio needs based on your goals and risk tolerance. AAII can help you figure out both and identify which investments align with what works best for you.

We do so through a program of education that teaches you to invest for yourself and become an effective manager of your own wealth—no more relying on others for your financial independence. You can rely on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis that makes you a better investor.

A+ Investor adds to that qualitative teaching by giving you a powerful data suite that helps you whittle down investment decisions to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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Additional Resources About Ground Transportation Stocks

Want to learn more about Ground Transportation stocks to see if they could be the right investment for you? Check out some additional resources and articles to help you on your financial journey.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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