Forward Air Valuation Multiples

As the world's largest parcel delivery company, UPS manages a massive fleet of more than 500 planes and 100,000 vehicles, along with many hundreds of sorting facilities, to deliver an average of about 22 million packages per day to residences and businesses across the globe. UPS' domestic US package operations generate around 65% of total revenue, while international package makes up 20%. Air and ocean freight forwarding and contract logistics make up the remainder.

FedEx pioneered overnight delivery in 1973 and remains the world's largest express package provider. In fiscal 2025, the firm's Federal Express segment—which houses the core package delivery operations—made up 86% of total revenue, with 10% coming from FedEx Freight, its asset-based less-than-truckload shipping segment. The remainder came from other services, including FedEx Office, which provides document production/shipping, and FedEx Logistics, which provides global forwarding. FedEx acquired Dutch parcel delivery firm TNT Express in 2016, boosting its presence across Europe. TNT was previously the fourth-largest global parcel delivery provider.

Canadian National's railway spans Canada from coast to coast and extends through Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2024, CN generated CAD 17 billion in revenue by hauling intermodal containers (22% of consolidated revenue), petroleum and chemicals (20%), grain and fertilizers (20%), forest products (11%), metals and minerals (12%), automotive shipments (5%), and coal (5%). Other items constitute the remaining revenue.

Based in Germany, DHL Group ranks among the three dominant integrated Global parcel-shipping providers, along with US-based FedEx and UPS. It's also a leading Global third-party logistics provider in terms of air and ocean forwarding and outsourced contract logistics markets touching Europe. The DHL divisions (Express, Global Forwarding & Freight, eCommerce Solutions, and Supply Chain) generate around 80% of revenue. Roughly 20% comes from the Post & Parcel Germany division, which includes the legacy German postal operations and the faster growing domestic package delivery business in Germany.

DSV is a Danish-listed transport and logistics company, offering transport services worldwide by road, air, and sea, with the bulk of its activities coming from airfreight and sea freight forwarding businesses. Since its founding in 1976, the company has experienced rapid growth, primarily through strategic acquisitions. Its most recent acquisition, DB Schenker, occurred in the second quarter of 2025, making DSV the largest sea freight forwarder.

Old Dominion Freight Line is the second-largest less-than-truckload carrier in the United States (following FedEx Freight), with more than 250 service centers and 11,000-plus tractors. It is one of the most disciplined and efficient providers in the trucking industry, and its profitability and capital returns are well above those of its peers. Strategic initiatives focus on increasing network density through market-share gains and on maintaining industry-leading service (including ultralow cargo claims) through steadfast infrastructure investment.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd is a port infrastructure company domiciled in India. The company owns, operates, develops, and maintains port terminals and port infrastructure in India, including operating and developing infrastructure at the Special Economic Zone in Mundra. Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone also owns and operates a private railway to transport container cargo, and provides storage, handling, and other logistics services. It has one business segment, namely developing, operating, and maintaining the ports services, ports-related Infrastructure development activities, and development of infrastructure at the contiguous Special Economic Zone at Mundra. The company generates the vast majority of its revenue domestically.

Poste Italiane SpA is an Italian diversified financial-services company. The company's reportable segments are Mail, parcels, and distribution; Payments and mobile; Financial services; and Insurance services. The Mail, parcels, and distribution segment includes letter post, express delivery, logistics, parcels, and philately. This Mail, parcels, and distribution segment generates the majority of revenue for Poste Italiane SpA. Geographically, the company has a presence in Italy, but also elsewhere in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

COSCO SHIPPING Holdings Co Ltd is an investment holding company. The company's operating segments include the Container shipping business, Terminal business, and Corporate and other operations. It generates maximum revenue from the Container shipping business segment. Its geographical segments include America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Mainland China, and Other international markets.

Denmark-listed A.P. Moller-Maersk operates trade, shipping, logistics, and terminal assets globally. The oceans segment, the largest contributor to group revenue and earnings, has the second-largest oceangoing shipping capacity globally. Maersk has acquired several logistics firms in the past couple of years and plans for the segment to be the company's growth engine. Over the past few years, Maersk has divested noncore operations, including its long-standing stakes in Danske Bank and Dansk Supermarked, as well as its oil and gas operations and ocean towing.

Kuehne+Nagel is a global transportation and logistics company founded in Switzerland in 1890. Following DSV's acquisition of DB Schenker, Kuehne+Nagel will be the second-largest seafreight forwarder globally and hold a minimum of the top three spots in airfreight. Seafreight has traditionally accounted for the largest part of the business, contributing 40% of the group's revenue in 2024. The company aims to become a more balanced, fully integrated freight forwarder, continually improving its end-to-end offering to clients.

International Container Terminal Services Inc is a container-handling and terminal company. The company operates, manages, develops, and acquires container terminals to handle import and export cargo shipped in containers. Besides, the firm provides storage, container stripping and stuffing, and maintenance services. The company organises itself into three geographical segments: Asia; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and Americas. The company derives the majority portion of revenue from the Asia segment, followed by the Americas and EMEA.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services ranks among the top surface transportation companies in North America by revenue. Its primary operating segments are intermodal delivery, which uses the Class I rail carriers for the underlying line-haul movement of its owned containers (48% of sales), dedicated trucking services that provide customer-specific fleet needs (27%), for-hire truckload (6%), heavy goods final-mile delivery (7%), and asset-light truck brokerage (12%).

SF Holding was the largest logistics integrated service provider in China and Asia, and the fourth largest globally in 2025 by revenue, according to Frost & Sullivan. It is the only large integrated logistics service provider in Asia that has direct control of its operations with minimal reliance on network partners. It is also independent of any e-commerce platforms. The company is equipped with full-product service capabilities in time-definite express delivery, economic express delivery, freight, cold chain and pharmaceutical, intracity on-demand delivery, international express delivery, international freight and forwarding, and supply chain.

Following the spinoff of its contract logistics division (GXO) in 2021 and freight brokerage operations (RXO) in 2022, XPO is moving closer to becoming a pure-play asset-based less-than-truckload carrier. We estimate LTL shipping makes up 60% of total revenue, with XPO's European truckload and LTL operations making up 40%. However, XPO's LTL segment EBITDA mix is much higher than 60%. We believe XPO intends to divest its European trucking division once it finds the right buyer.

German-listed Hapag-Lloyd AG operates global trade, shipping, inland services, and terminal assets globally. Hapag-Lloyd liner shipping, the largest contributor to group revenue and earnings, has the fifth-largest shipping capacity globally. Hapag also provides a range of services, including e-business solutions, inland services, and terminal operations.

C.H. Robinson is a top-tier non-asset-based third-party logistics provider with a significant focus on domestic freight brokerage (about 60% of net revenue), which reflects mostly truck brokerage but also rail intermodal. Additionally, the firm operates a large air and ocean forwarding division (30%), which has grown organically and via tuck-in acquisitions over the years. The remainder of revenue consists of transportation management services and a legacy produce-sourcing operation.

Based in the US, Expeditors International of Washington is a non-asset-based third-party logistics provider, mainly focused on international freight forwarding. Its offers freight consolidation and forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing and distribution, purchase order management, vendor consolidation, and numerous other value-added logistics services. It employs sophisticated IT systems and contracts with airlines and ocean carriers to move customers' freight across the globe. The firm operates more than 200 full-service office locations worldwide, in addition to numerous satellite locations. Expeditors derives around 35% of consolidated gross revenue from airfreight, 30% from ocean freight, and 36% from customs brokerage and other services.

Bollore SE is an infrastructure company domiciled in France. The company organizes itself into four segments: transportation and logistics, oil logistics, communication, and Electricity storage and systems. The transportation and logistics segment offers freight forwarding and logistics services. The oil logistics segment distributes oil and fuel. The communication segment provides advertising, cinema, and telecommunications services. The electricity storage and systems segment is engaged in the production and sale of electric batteries and their applications. The firm generates most of the revenue from the communications segment.

Shanghai International Port (Group) Co Ltd is the world's largest container port in terms of throughput volume, and a major trans-shipment hub in China. It engages in handling port containers and bulk cargo along with other container-related services in the Yangtze River Delta. The gross profit in core port operation is approximately 72% in containers, 2% in bulk cargo, and 26% in port logistics and services. The Shanghai state-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission holds approximately a 44% stake in SIPG.

ZTO Express is China’s largest express delivery company by parcel volume, with a volume share of 19.4% in 2024. It operates a network partner model where it provides line-haul transportation and sorting services, while its local network partners provide first-mile pickup and last-mile delivery services under the ZTO brand name. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company was founded in 2002 by Meisong Lai, who remains chair, CEO, and its major shareholder with 78% voting rights as of March 31, 2025. ZTO’s strategic shareholder is leading China e-commerce company Alibaba Group with around an 8.9% interest.

Evergreen Marine Corp (Taiwan) Ltd is mainly engaged in domestic and international marine transportation, shipping agency services, commercial port area ship repair services, and the distribution of containers. Along with its subsidiaries, it operates in the following reportable segments: Transportation Department, which derives maximum revenue, and Other Departments. Geographically, the group generates maximum revenue from Asia (excluding Taiwan), followed by Taiwan, America, Europe, and other regions.

Brambles is the world’s largest supplier of reusable wooden pallets for the fast-moving consumer goods, fresh produce, beverage, retail, and general manufacturing industries. Brambles' services primarily operate under the Chep brand. The operation spans approximately 60 countries with three geographical segments: Chep Americas, Chep Europe, Middle East, and Asia, and Chep Asia-Pacific.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha is a Japan-based shipping and transportation company. The company operates through seven segments. The Automotive Business covers ocean-going cargo shipping and automobile logistics. Dry Bulk Cargo Business focuses on bulk cargo transport and ship chartering. Energy Business handles shipping and chartering related to energy transport. Liner & Logistics Business includes Air Transport, Liner Shipping with agency, container terminal, port, and tugboat operations, and Logistics covering warehousing, freight forwarding, and coastal freight. Other Business involves real estate leasing and sales, passenger ship services, machinery and equipment wholesale, transportation support, information processing, and petroleum product sales.

TFI International Inc is involved in the provision of transportation and logistics services across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company's reportable segments are; Less-Than-Truckload, which derives maximum revenue, Truckload, and Logistics. The Less-Than-Truckload segment engages in pickup, consolidation, transport, and delivery of smaller loads; the Truckload segment deals with full loads carried directly from the customer to the destination using a closed van or specialized equipment to meet customer's specific needs; and the Logistics segment provides asset-light logistics services, including brokerage, freight forwarding, and transportation management, as well as small package parcel delivery. Geographically, the company generates maximum revenue from the United States.

Knight-Swift Transportation is the largest full-truckload carrier in the US, with a diversified transportation offering. Pro forma for the US Xpress deal, about 82% of revenue derives from Knight’s asset-based trucking business, with full truckload (for-hire dry van, refrigerated, and dedicated contract) making up 69% and less than truckload 13%. Truck brokerage and other asset-light logistics services make up 9% of revenue, with intermodal near 6%. Knight's intermodal operations use the Class I railroads for the underlying movement of its shipping containers and include drayage (regional trucking services to and from inland intermodal ramps/terminals). The remainder of revenue reflects services offered to shippers and third-party truckers, including equipment maintenance and leasing.

Saia ranks among the 10 largest less-than-truckload carriers in the United States, with more than 200 facilities and a fleet of more than 6,500 tractors and 26,000 trailers. As a national LTL carrier, the firm offers time-definite and expedited options for shipments ranging between 100 and 10,000 pounds. Saia ranks among the top-tier providers in terms of profitability.

Hyundai Glovis Co Ltd is a South Korean-based logistics company. Its operating segments include Logistics, Distribution, and Shipping. Its Distribution sector covers product and merchandise sales, including CKD operations, commodity trading, and used-car business; the Logistics sector handles domestic and overseas cargo transportation services; and the Shipping sector transports cargo by sea through automobile carriers and bulk carriers. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Distribution segment.

JD Logistics, owned by leading China e-commerce company JD.com, is a technology-driven supply chain solutions and logistics services provider in China. It offers a full spectrum of supply chain solutions and logistics services, ranging from warehousing to distribution, spanning manufacturing to end customers, covering regular and specialized items. JDL services include formulating and executing supply chain strategies. Customers come from a wide array of industries, such as fast-moving consumer goods; apparel; home appliances; home furniture; computers, consumer electronics, and communications; automotive; and fresh produce, among others.

J&T Express provides express delivery in 13 countries, with a number one position in Southeast Asia and a leading position in China by parcel volume share in the first half of 2025 and a growing footprint in Latin America and the Middle East. As of Sept. 30, 2025, it had network coverage across Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Mexico, Brazil, and Egypt.

Qingdao Port International Co Ltd is a Chinese company that acts as an operator of the Port of Qingdao. It provides a range of port-related services including basic port services such as stevedoring and storage services, ancillary and extended services such as logistics and financing-related services. The company has six operating segments; container handling and ancillary services, metal ore, coal, and other cargo handling and ancillary services, liquid bulk handling and ancillary services, logistics and port value-added services, port ancillary services, and financial services. It derives a majority of its revenue from the logistics and port value-added services segment followed by metal ore, coal, and other cargo handling segment and liquid bulk handling and ancillary services segment.

Nippon Express Holdings Inc is engaged in the logistics business through five reportable segments: Japan, Americas, Europe, East Asia, and South Asia/Oceania. The company provides a wide range of logistics services, including railway, air, marine, and truck transportation, as well as warehousing, distribution, processing, and moving services. In addition to its core logistics operations, the group is also involved in security transport, heavy haulage and construction, and logistics support businesses, which include real estate, oil sales, and related services.

Landstar System is an agent based asset-light third-party logistics provider focused on domestic truck brokerage. Historically, around half of its truck transportation freight is hauled by leased owner-operators with the remainder hauled by third-party broker-carriers. To a smaller degree, it offers intermodal, global air and ocean forwarding, and warehousing services. Landstar also runs a small business that offers insurance programs to captive owner-operators. It has a long history of industry-leading execution and operating profitability.

Schneider National Inc is a provider of surface transportation and logistics solutions in North America. The Company offers truckload, LTL carriers, railroads, ocean carriers, airlines to a diverse customer base throughout the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. The company's segments include Truckload, Intermodal, Logistics and other. It generates maximum revenue from the Truckload segment.

Qube has three main divisions: operating; property; and Patrick. Operating undertakes road/rail transportation of containers to and from port, operation of container parks, customs/quarantine services, warehousing, intermodal terminals, international freight forwarding, domestic stevedoring, and bulk transport. Patrick is the container terminals business acquired from Asciano, and the property division includes tactical land holdings in Sydney.

GXO Logistics Inc is a contract logistics company. Its revenue is diversified across numerous verticals and customers, including many multinational corporations. It provides warehousing and distribution, order fulfillment, e-commerce, reverse logistics, and other supply chain services differentiated by its ability to deliver technology-enabled, customized solutions at scale. Geographically, it generates revenue from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, and other countries, and derives the majority of its revenue from the United Kingdom.

Matson Inc is engaged in providing ocean transportation and logistics services. The business segments of the company are Ocean Transportation which provides ocean freight transportation services to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, California, Okinawa, and different islands in the South Pacific, and Logistics segment which offers long haul and regional highway trucking services, warehousing and distribution services, supply chain management, and freight forwarding services. The firm generates the majority of its revenue from the Ocean Transportation segment.

SG Holdings Co Ltd provides international freight, logistics, local delivery, international express, and other associated business services. The company operates through three reportable segments: Delivery Business, Logistics Business, and Real Estate Business. The Delivery Business provides courier, mail, international courier, and various transport services. The Logistics Business offers distribution processing, logistics system construction, inventory and center operations, route delivery, international air and sea transport, customs clearance, and low-temperature logistics. The Real Estate Business engages in real estate rental, development, management, and renewable energy supply. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Delivery business segment.

HANJIN KAL Corp is a Korean-based company engaged in providing hotel and travel business services through its subsidiaries. The company operates through four segments: Database and Online Information Provider, General and International Travel Business, Hotel Industry, and Rental Industry. The Database and Online Information Provider sector offers travel-related information and online services. The General and International Travel Business sector provides tourism and accommodation-related services. The Hotel Industry sector covers accommodation, food, convention, and related operations. The Rental Industry sector includes non-residential rental services, intangible property rentals, and other related activities. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Rental industry segment.

Logista Integral SA is a distributor and logistics operator. The company provides distribution channels for products and services including top-ups, tobacco products, pharmaceuticals, books, publications and lotteries, among others, to some 200,000 points of sale in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. It also distributes to wholesalers in Poland and express deliveries to from Benelux. It facilitates the fastest route to market for products and services, distributing them from manufacturers to end consumer through a capillary network of points of sale.

RXO Inc is a brokered transportation platform defined by technology and a nimble, asset-light business model, with the component being core truck brokerage business. Its operations also include three asset-light, brokered transportation services, all of which complement its truck brokerage business: managed transportation, last mile and freight forwarding. The company operates into one reportable segment. The operates within the transportation industry and in the same geography North America.

NIKKON Holdings Co Ltd is engaged in the logistics services business through four reportable segments: Transportation, Warehousing, Packaging, and Testing. The Transportation segment handles the delivery of completed four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles, auto parts, housing equipment, and agricultural machinery. The Warehousing segment stores similar types of goods, while the Packaging segment manages distribution processing, delivery, and export packaging of auto parts. The Testing segment is responsible for testing completed vehicles and equipment.

Agility Global PLC is engaged in the activities of holding companies. It is an owner and operator and long-term investor in businesses belonging to different sectors. Some of its owned and operated businesses include Menzies Aviation, Tristar, Agility Logistics Parks, GCC Services, and others.

Eastern Air Logistics Co Ltd provide comprehensive ground services and comprehensive logistics solutions.

Mainfreight Ltd is in the supply chain logistics business. It provides the full spectrum of warehousing, Transport, and international air and ocean freight services. Geographically, it operates businesses in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, The Americas, Asia, and others.

Hafnia Ltd is one of the tanker owners, transporting oil, oil products and chemicals for national and international oil companies, chemical companies, as well as trading and utility companies. As owners and operators of around 200 vessels, It offers a fully integrated shipping platform, including technical management, commercial and chartering services, pool management, and a large-scale bunker procurement desk.

Asyad Shipping is engaged in various activities in the logistics sector, including freight forwarding, maritime, ports, free zones and on land logistics. The company operates internationally and the subsidiaries of the company operate in Oman.