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ROE % is calculated as Net Income divided by its average Total Stockholders Equity over a certain period of time. Forward Air's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $-137 Mil. Forward Air's average Total Stockholders Equity over the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $97 Mil. Therefore, Forward Air's annualized ROE % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -141.27%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Forward Air's ROE % or its related term are showing as below:
FWRD'
s ROE % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -169.15 Med: 16.16 Max: 29.7
Current: -71.41
During the past 13 years, Forward Air's highest ROE % was 29.70%. The lowest was -169.15%. And the median was 16.16%.
FWRD's ROE % is ranked worse than 97.36% of 986
companies
in the Transportation industry
Industry Median: 7.59
vs FWRD: -71.41
ROE % measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity (also known as net assets or assets minus liabilities). ROE % shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. ROE %s between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.
The factors that affect a company's ROE % can be illustrated with the three-step DuPont Analysis:
Note:
The net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data. The Revenue data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) revenue data. The same rule applies to Pre-Tax Income and Operating Income.
* In the five-step DuPont Analysis, Operating Income is only available for non-financial companies. Thus, for Insurance companies, we use EBIT as a substitution of Operating Income. For Banks, both Operating Income and EBIT is unavailable. Thus we combined Interest Burden and Operating Margin % into Pretax Margin %, and the DuPont Analysis is divided into four components instead.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Be Aware
Net Income is used.
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the equity multiplier when investing in high ROE % companies. Like ROA %, ROE % is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their ROE %s can be extremely high.
Forward Air ROE % Related Terms
Forward Air ROE % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Forward Air's ROE % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Integrated Freight & Logistics subindustry, Forward Air's ROE %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROE % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Forward Air ROE % vs Transportation Industry
For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Forward Air's ROE % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Forward Air's ROE % falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual ROE %, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data,
the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data.
ROE % is displayed in the 30-year financial page.
Forward Air (FWRD) has a ROE % of -141.27% as of Mar. 2026. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Forward Air and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Forward Air ranks #960 out of 986 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 97.4%.
Is Forward Air's ROE % too high?
Forward Air's current ROE % is -141.27%. Based on the distribution chart, Forward Air ranks #960 out of 986 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Forward Air has a GF Score™ of 56/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Forward Air's ROE % compare to RLGT and CYRX?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Forward Air ranks #960 out of 986 companies for ROE %. This places Forward Air in the lower half of its industry. The industry median ROE % is 7.59. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROE % for a Transportation company?
The median ROE % among Transportation companies is 7.59, based on 986 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROE % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROE % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high ROE % mean?
A high ROE % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period total equity. View historical data on Forward Air and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median ROE % is 7.59 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Forward Air's current ROE % is -141.27%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Forward Air stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Forward Air (FWRD) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $32.72, compared to a current price of $15.11 — trading 53.8% below its estimated fair value. The current ROE % is -141.27%. Forward Air's overall GF Score™ is 56/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is ROE % calculated?
ROE % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Forward Air (FWRD), the current ROE % is -141.27% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Forward Air (FWRD) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Forward Air stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $15.11 is trading 53.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of $32.72.
GuruFocus considers Forward Air to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for FWRD:
ROE %: -141.27%
GF Value™: $32.72 vs. price of $15.11 (53.8% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the FWRD stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Forward Air Corp is an asset-light freight and logistics company. The company's operating segment includes Expedited Freight, Omni Logistics, and Intermodal and Corporate. The company generates maximum revenue from the Omni Logistics segment. The expedited Freight segment operates a comprehensive national network to provide expedited regional, inter-regional, and national LTL (less-than-truckload) services. It also offers customers local pick-up and delivery and other services including final mile, truckload, shipment consolidation and deconsolidation, warehousing, customs brokerage, and other handling. The Company conducts business in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
56GF Score
Get the complete analysis for FWRD
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