MCCAIG/iStock via Getty Images
Wabash (NYSE:WNC) on Monday advanced 5.9% to hit a 52-week high of $26.52 a share as the maker of semi-trailers and truck bodies takes steps to expand production.
The company this month signed a long-term agreement to provide trucking company J.B. Hunt Transport with trailers.
“With an additional 15,000-plus trailers, we can improve the efficiency of our equipment so that assets are in the right place at the right time for available drivers,” Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and president of contract services at J.B. Hunt, said in an announcement about the agreement with Wabash. “It’s essential to our mission of creating the most efficient transportation network in North America.”
To ensure it has a stable supply of parts to make trailers, Wabash (WNC) has been signing supply agreements with a variety of companies. This month, it reached a 10-year deal with Ryerson for industrial metals.
Wabash’s (WNC) stock has jumped as much as 58% since the market close on October 25. The next day, it reported Q3 results that beat earnings and revenue estimates. Wabash (WNC) also increased its earnings guidance for the year and said its order backlog had risen 20% to hit a company record for Q3.
The company will report Q4 and full-year results before the start of regular trading on February 2.
Wabash (WNC) has risen 34% in the past 12 months, contrasting with a 2% slide for the Standard & Poor’s 400 midcap stock index (SP400).
Seeking Alpha contributor Enthusiastic Investors Club has a Sell rating on Wabash (WNC) on its stock price compared with earnings. WG Investment Research rates Wabash (WNC) a Buy on its ability to weather a possible recession.