North American Class 8 truck and trailer build rates - industry production volumes directly correlate with order intake
Freight tonnage indices and trucking fleet utilization rates - high utilization (>95%) triggers fleet expansion and trailer orders
Trucking company profitability and capital spending budgets - carrier earnings drive replacement cycle timing
Backlog announcements and order trends from major fleet customers and leasing companies
high - Trailer demand is highly correlated with freight volumes, industrial production, and retail inventory cycles. During economic expansions, rising consumer spending and manufacturing activity increase freight tonnage, driving fleet expansion and trailer orders. Recessions cause immediate order cancellations as carriers defer capital expenditures. The business is a leading indicator of economic activity with 6-12 month lead times from order to delivery.
Rising interest rates negatively impact the business through multiple channels: (1) trucking fleets and leasing companies face higher financing costs for trailer purchases, reducing order volumes, (2) carriers' weighted average cost of capital increases, making fleet expansion less attractive, (3) higher rates often coincide with Fed tightening to slow the economy, reducing freight demand. The company's own debt servicing costs also increase with a 1.21 debt/equity ratio.
Autonomous trucking technology development could fundamentally alter trailer specifications and demand patterns over the 10-15 year horizon, though near-term impact remains limited
Regulatory changes including trailer length/weight restrictions, emissions standards for refrigerated units, and safety requirements (electronic braking systems) require ongoing R&D investment and can disrupt replacement cycles
Shift toward intermodal rail transport for long-haul freight could reduce over-the-road trailer demand in specific corridors
value - The 0.3x price/sales, 2.6x EV/EBITDA, and 1.3x price/book ratios indicate deep value territory. Investors are typically cyclical value players looking for trough multiples during industry downturns with 2-3 year recovery horizons. The 52.7% three-month return suggests momentum traders are also participating in a cyclical recovery trade. Not suitable for income investors given the cyclical cash flow profile. The 53.7% ROE attracts quality-focused value investors when the cycle is favorable.
Trend
-18.6% vs SMA 50 · -27.4% vs SMA 200
Momentum
Heavy distribution on elevated volume — institutions appear to be exiting. Squeeze setups unlikely while selling pressure persists.
Based on volume distribution analysis. Direct short interest data (short float %, days to cover) is not available in current data sources.
ANALYST ESTIMATES
Analyst consensus estimates · Actuals replace estimates as reported
| Year | Revenue Est. | Rev Gth | EPS Est. | EPS Gth | Range | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FY2023 | $2.3B $2.3B–$2.3B | — | $3.34 | — | — | Low1 |
FY2024 | $1.9B $1.9B–$2.0B | ▼ -15.3% | $1.28 | ▼ -61.6% | — | Low2 |
FY2025 | $1.5B $1.5B–$1.6B | ▼ -20.5% | -$1.97 | — | ±2% | Low2 |
Dividend per payment — last 8 periods
INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP
WNC News
About
headquartered in lafayette, ind., wabash national corporation (nyse: wnc) is a diversified industrial manufacturer and north america’s leading producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems. established in 1985, the company specializes in the design and production of dry freight vans, refrigerated vans, platform trailers, liquid tank trailers, intermodal equipment, engineered products and composite products. its innovative products are sold under the following brand names: wabash national®, transcraft®, benson®, duraplate®, walker transport, walker defense group, walker barrier systems, walker engineered products, brenner® tank, beall®, garsite, progress tank, tst®, bulk tank international and extract technology®.
| Symbol | Price | Day % | Mkt Cap↓ | P/E | Rev Grw | Margin | ELO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WNC◀ | $6.89 | +1.32% | $280M | — | -2075.2% | 1370.6% | 1500 |
| $888.31 | +0.00% | $409.2B | — | — | — | 1526 | |
| $281.53 | -3.43% | $294.2B | — | — | — | 1488 | |
| $171.18 | +0.00% | $230.5B | — | — | — | 1486 | |
| $220.49 | +0.00% | $173.8B | — | — | — | 1502 | |
| $270.56 | +0.45% | $160.6B | 22.2 | +107.2% | 2912.3% | 1506 | |
| $399.44 | +0.00% | $155.1B | — | — | — | 1506 | |
| Sector avg | — | -0.24% | — | 22.2 | -984.0% | 2141.4% | 1502 |