Forward Air (NASDAQ:FWRD) Major Shareholder Sells $1,458,108.73 in Stock

Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ:FWRD) major shareholder Cetus Capital Vi, L.P. sold 67,163 shares of Forward Air stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.71, for a total value of $1,458,108.73. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,126,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,877,313.66. The trade was a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Forward Air Price Performance

Shares of FWRD traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $27.24. The stock had a trading volume of 480,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,223. Forward Air Corporation has a 52 week low of $9.78 and a 52 week high of $32.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $851.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.08 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $27.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.73, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Forward Air

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Forward Air by 122.3% during the fourth quarter. Melqart Asset Management UK Ltd now owns 849,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $21,247,000 after acquiring an additional 467,482 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in Forward Air during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,295,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Forward Air by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,353,608 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,347,000 after purchasing an additional 307,906 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Forward Air by 1,179.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 321,092 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,451,000 after purchasing an additional 296,001 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of Forward Air by 337,481.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 270,065 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,924,000 after purchasing an additional 269,985 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.03% of the company’s stock.

Forward Air News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Forward Air this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cetus Capital increased its stake in October by acquiring 225,000 shares at about $17.93 each (a ~7.1% bump to its holdings), which can be read as a vote of confidence from a major holder. Cetus Capital acquisition filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Forward Air is scheduled to report quarterly earnings soon, which is a routine catalyst that could move the stock depending on results and guidance. Earnings projection notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Public short-interest data shows effectively zero reported short interest and a 0.0 days-to-cover figure — this looks like an anomalous/empty data print and is unlikely to be a meaningful immediate driver. (No external article link available.)
• Negative Sentiment: Cetus Capital subsequently sold multiple blocks totaling roughly 302k shares across November (and an additional October sale), representing a several-percent reduction in its stake and proceeds of roughly $6M — heavy insider selling from a large holder can weigh on sentiment. Cetus Capital sale filings
• Negative Sentiment: Market writeups flag fundamental pressure: analysis highlights that AI-related costs and other operational headwinds could compress margins and that Forward Air faces broader challenges beyond AI alone — this type of critique can prompt caution among investors ahead of earnings. Margin and fundamentals analysis
• Negative Sentiment: News outlets summarized the recent Cetus sell-off as several million dollars of sales (reporting ~ $5.94M), reinforcing headlines around insider selling that can pressure the stock. Investing.com summary of Cetus sales

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FWRD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Forward Air from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Forward Air from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Forward Air in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna raised their target price on Forward Air from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Forward Air in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.00.

About Forward Air

Forward Air Corporation is a leading North American provider of expedited ground transportation and related logistics services, specializing in time-sensitive shipments. The company offers a comprehensive suite of solutions including less-than-truckload (LTL) expedited freight, consolidation and distribution services, container drayage, and final-mile delivery. By integrating transportation management with warehousing, inventory control, and technology-driven tracking, Forward Air supports customers across a variety of industries such as manufacturing, retail, automotive and chemicals.

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Greeneville, Tennessee, Forward Air has developed a broad network of service centers, terminals and rail ramps throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.