Revenue growth remains persistently negative, with a 0.8% decline in 2026Q1, while structural constraints keep operating margins within a narrow 2.5% to 5.3% range over the last ten quarters.
| Metric | TTM | Dec'25 | Dec'24 | Dec'23 | Dec'22 | Dec'21 | Dec'20 | Dec'19 | Dec'18 | Dec'17 | Dec'16 | Dec'15 | Dec'14 | Dec'13 | Dec'12 | Dec'11 | Dec'10 | Dec'09 | Dec'08 | Dec'07 | Dec'06 | Dec'05 | Dec'04 | Dec'03 | Dec'02 | Dec'01 | Dec'00 | Dec'99 | Dec'98 | Dec'97 | Dec'96 |
|---|
| Sales/Revenue | 16.2B | 16.23B | 17.72B | 17.6B | 24.7B | 23.1B | 16.21B | 15.31B | 16.63B | 14.87B | 13.14B | 13.48B | 13.47B | 12.75B | 11.36B | 10.34B | 9.27B | 7.58B | 8.58B | 7.32B | 6.56B | 5.69B | 4.34B | 3.61B | 3.29B | 3.09B | 2.88B | 2.26B | 2.04B | 1.79B | 1.61B |
| Revenue Growth % | -6.68% | -8.42% | 0.73% | -28.75% | 6.9% | 42.54% | 5.86% | -7.95% | 11.85% | 13.12% | -2.46% | 0.04% | 5.63% | 12.26% | 9.89% | 11.45% | 22.4% | -11.67% | 17.25% | 11.59% | 15.24% | 31.04% | 20.14% | 9.69% | 6.61% | 7.21% | 27.47% | 10.94% | 13.81% | 11.51% | - |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 14.86B | 14.87B | 16.42B | 16.46B | 22.83B | 21.49B | 15.04B | 14.02B | 15.27B | 13.68B | 11.93B | 12.26B | 12.4B | 11.74B | 10.41B | 9.4B | 8.44B | 6.2B | 7.2B | 6.07B | 5.47B | 4.81B | 3.68B | 3.07B | 2.81B | 2.63B | 2.46B | 1.97B | 1.79B | 1.58B | 1.43B |
| COGS % of Revenue | - | 91.63% | 92.62% | 93.53% | 92.43% | 93.04% | 92.78% | 91.59% | 91.81% | 92.01% | 90.77% | 90.97% | 92.07% | 92.08% | 91.62% | 90.94% | 90.99% | 81.76% | 83.97% | 83% | 83.49% | 84.54% | 84.78% | 84.92% | 85.32% | 85.22% | 85.45% | 87.03% | 87.95% | 88.5% | 88.85% |
| Gross Profit | 1.34B | 1.36B | 1.31B | 1.14B | 1.87B | 1.61B | 1.17B | 1.29B | 1.36B | 1.19B | 1.21B | 1.22B | 1.07B | 1.01B | 951.57M | 936.42M | 835.91M | 1.38B | 1.37B | 1.24B | 1.08B | 879.75M | 660.99M | 544.85M | 483.78M | 456.57M | 419.34M | 293.3M | 245.6M | 206M | 179.1M |
| Gross Margin % | 8.29% | 8.37% | 7.38% | 6.47% | 7.57% | 6.96% | 7.22% | 8.41% | 8.19% | 7.99% | 9.23% | 9.03% | 7.93% | 7.92% | 8.38% | 9.06% | 9.01% | 18.24% | 16.03% | 17% | 16.51% | 15.46% | 15.22% | 15.08% | 14.68% | 14.78% | 14.55% | 12.97% | 12.05% | 11.5% | 11.15% |
| Gross Profit Growth % | - | 3.86% | 14.92% | -39.1% | 16.27% | 37.55% | -9.19% | -5.43% | 14.57% | -1.98% | -0.37% | 13.89% | 5.86% | 6.08% | 1.62% | 12.02% | -39.51% | 0.51% | 10.55% | 14.89% | 23.05% | 33.1% | 21.32% | 12.62% | 5.96% | 8.88% | 42.97% | 19.42% | 19.22% | 15.02% | - |
| Operating Expenses | 548.69M | 564.29M | 639.62M | 624.27M | 603.41M | 526.37M | 496.12M | 497.81M | 449.61M | 413.4M | 375.06M | 358.76M | 320.21M | 326.78M | 276.25M | 243.69M | 213.05M | 797.15M | 803.38M | 734.09M | 664.7M | 553.39M | 438.22M | 368.8M | 334.85M | 322.3M | 302.33M | 209.5M | 177.2M | 173.9M | 129M |
| OpEx % of Revenue | - | 3.48% | 3.61% | 3.55% | 2.44% | 2.28% | 3.06% | 3.25% | 2.7% | 2.78% | 2.85% | 2.66% | 2.38% | 2.56% | 2.43% | 2.36% | 2.3% | 10.52% | 9.36% | 10.03% | 10.14% | 9.73% | 10.09% | 10.21% | 10.16% | 10.43% | 10.49% | 9.27% | 8.69% | 9.71% | 8.03% |
| Selling, General & Admin | 548.69M | 564.29M | 639.62M | 624.27M | 603.41M | 526.37M | 496.12M | 497.81M | 449.61M | 413.4M | 375.06M | 358.76M | 320.21M | 326.78M | 276.25M | 243.69M | 213.05M | 797.15M | 803.38M | 734.09M | 664.7M | 553.39M | 438.22M | 368.8M | 334.85M | 322.3M | 302.33M | 209.5M | 177.2M | 173.9M | 129M |
| SG&A % of Revenue | - | 3.48% | 3.61% | 3.55% | 2.44% | 2.28% | 3.06% | 3.25% | 2.7% | 2.78% | 2.85% | 2.66% | 2.38% | 2.56% | 2.43% | 2.36% | 2.3% | 10.52% | 9.36% | 10.03% | 10.14% | 9.73% | 10.09% | 10.21% | 10.16% | 10.43% | 10.49% | 9.27% | 8.69% | 9.71% | 8.03% |
| Research & Development | 13.68M | 0 | 44.31M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R&D % of Revenue | - | - | 0.25% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Operating Expenses | -1000K | 0 | -44.31M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Operating Income | 793.79M | 794.96M | 669.14M | 514.61M | 1.27B | 1.08B | 673.27M | 789.98M | 912.08M | 775.12M | 837.53M | 858.31M | 748.42M | 682.65M | 675.32M | 692.73M | 622.86M | 584.81M | 571.59M | 509.68M | 417.85M | 326.36M | 222.77M | 183.58M | 156.58M | 134.27M | 117.01M | 83.8M | 68.4M | 32M | 50.1M |
| Operating Margin % | 4.9% | 4.9% | 3.78% | 2.92% | 5.13% | 4.68% | 4.15% | 5.16% | 5.48% | 5.21% | 6.37% | 6.37% | 5.56% | 5.35% | 5.95% | 6.7% | 6.72% | 7.72% | 6.66% | 6.97% | 6.37% | 5.74% | 5.13% | 5.08% | 4.75% | 4.35% | 4.06% | 3.71% | 3.36% | 1.79% | 3.12% |
| Operating Income Growth % | - | 18.8% | 30.03% | -59.38% | 17.07% | 60.72% | -14.77% | -13.39% | 17.67% | -7.45% | -2.42% | 14.68% | 9.63% | 1.09% | -2.51% | 11.22% | 6.51% | 2.31% | 12.15% | 21.98% | 28.03% | 46.5% | 21.34% | 17.25% | 16.61% | 14.76% | 39.63% | 22.51% | 113.75% | -36.13% | - |
| EBITDA | 895.82M | 897.78M | 766.3M | 613.59M | 1.36B | 1.17B | 775M | 890.42M | 1.01B | 868.1M | 912.2M | 924.72M | 805.43M | 739.53M | 713.41M | 725.23M | 652.23M | 615.33M | 602.75M | 537.05M | 441.78M | 344.86M | 234.58M | 194.58M | 170.61M | 153.41M | 134.33M | 93.9M | 76.9M | 40.7M | 57.7M |
| EBITDA Margin % | 5.53% | 5.53% | 4.32% | 3.49% | 5.5% | 5.08% | 4.78% | 5.82% | 6.07% | 5.84% | 6.94% | 6.86% | 5.98% | 5.8% | 6.28% | 7.02% | 7.03% | 8.12% | 7.03% | 7.34% | 6.74% | 6.06% | 5.4% | 5.38% | 5.18% | 4.96% | 4.66% | 4.15% | 3.77% | 2.27% | 3.59% |
| EBITDA Growth % | 9.54% | 17.16% | 24.89% | -54.87% | 15.87% | 51.4% | -12.96% | -11.74% | 16.21% | -4.83% | -1.35% | 14.81% | 8.91% | 3.66% | -1.63% | 11.19% | 6% | 2.09% | 12.23% | 21.57% | 28.1% | 47.01% | 20.56% | 14.05% | 11.21% | 14.21% | 43.05% | 22.11% | 88.94% | -29.46% | - |
| D&A (Non-Cash Add-back) | 102.03M | 102.82M | 97.16M | 98.98M | 92.78M | 91.26M | 101.73M | 100.45M | 96.73M | 92.98M | 74.67M | 66.41M | 57.01M | 56.88M | 38.09M | 32.5M | 29.37M | 30.51M | 31.16M | 27.37M | 23.93M | 18.5M | 11.81M | 10.99M | 14.03M | 19.14M | 17.32M | 10.1M | 8.5M | 8.7M | 7.6M |
| EBIT | 871.6M | 785.56M | 669.14M | 514.61M | 1.27B | 1.08B | 673.27M | 789.98M | 912.08M | 775.12M | 837.53M | 858.31M | 748.42M | 682.65M | 675.32M | 692.73M | 622.86M | 584.81M | 571.59M | 509.68M | 417.85M | 326.36M | 222.77M | 176.05M | 148.93M | 134.27M | 117.01M | 83.8M | 68.4M | 32.1M | 50.1M |
| Net Interest Income | -139.03M | -63.1M | -89.94M | -105.42M | -100.02M | -59.82M | -44.94M | -47.72M | -31.81M | -46.66M | -25.58M | -35.53M | -24.99M | -9.29M | 283.14M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Interest Income | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Interest Expense | 139.03M | 63.1M | 89.94M | 105.42M | 100.02M | 59.82M | 44.94M | 47.72M | 31.81M | 46.66M | 25.58M | 35.53M | 24.99M | 9.29M | 283.14M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Income/Expense | -61.47M | -72.5M | -89.94M | -105.42M | -100.02M | -59.82M | -44.94M | -47.72M | -31.81M | -46.66M | -25.58M | -35.53M | -24.99M | -9.29M | 283.14M | 1.97M | 1.24M | 2.25M | 6.8M | 13.83M | 11.84M | 6.39M | 3.27M | 2.59M | 1.33M | 4.1M | 750K | 4.6M | 2.9M | 3M | 3M |
| Pretax Income | 732.33M | 722.46M | 579.2M | 409.19M | 1.17B | 1.02B | 628.33M | 742.26M | 880.27M | 728.46M | 811.95M | 822.78M | 723.43M | 673.36M | 958.46M | 694.7M | 624.1M | 587.06M | 578.39M | 523.51M | 429.69M | 332.75M | 226.04M | 186.17M | 157.91M | 138.37M | 117.76M | 88.4M | 71.3M | 35M | 53.1M |
| Pretax Margin % | 4.52% | 4.45% | 3.27% | 2.33% | 4.72% | 4.43% | 3.88% | 4.85% | 5.29% | 4.9% | 6.18% | 6.11% | 5.37% | 5.28% | 8.44% | 6.72% | 6.73% | 7.75% | 6.74% | 7.16% | 6.55% | 5.85% | 5.21% | 5.15% | 4.79% | 4.48% | 4.09% | 3.91% | 3.5% | 1.95% | 3.31% |
| Income Tax | 133.32M | 135.38M | 113.51M | 84.06M | 226.24M | 178.05M | 121.91M | 165.29M | 215.77M | 223.57M | 298.57M | 313.08M | 273.72M | 257.46M | 364.66M | 263.09M | 237.08M | 226.23M | 219.21M | 199.25M | 162.76M | 129.4M | 88.78M | 72.05M | 61.59M | 54.38M | 46.52M | 35.1M | 28.3M | 23.5M | 20.7M |
| Effective Tax Rate % | 18.2% | 18.74% | 19.6% | 20.54% | 19.39% | 17.42% | 19.4% | 22.27% | 24.51% | 30.69% | 36.77% | 38.05% | 37.84% | 38.23% | 38.05% | 37.87% | 37.99% | 38.54% | 37.9% | 38.06% | 37.88% | 38.89% | 39.28% | 38.7% | 39% | 39.3% | 39.5% | 39.71% | 39.69% | 67.14% | 38.98% |
| Net Income | 599.01M | 587.08M | 465.69M | 325.13M | 940.52M | 844.25M | 506.42M | 576.97M | 664.5M | 504.89M | 513.38M | 509.7M | 449.71M | 415.9M | 593.8M | 431.61M | 387.03M | 360.83M | 359.18M | 324.26M | 266.93M | 203.36M | 137.25M | 114.12M | 96.33M | 83.99M | 71.24M | 53.3M | 43M | 27.6M | 34.6M |
| Net Margin % | 3.7% | 3.62% | 2.63% | 1.85% | 3.81% | 3.65% | 3.12% | 3.77% | 4% | 3.4% | 3.91% | 3.78% | 3.34% | 3.26% | 5.23% | 4.18% | 4.17% | 4.76% | 4.19% | 4.43% | 4.07% | 3.57% | 3.16% | 3.16% | 2.92% | 2.72% | 2.47% | 2.36% | 2.11% | 1.54% | 2.15% |
| Net Income Growth % | 17.9% | 26.07% | 43.23% | -65.43% | 11.4% | 66.71% | -12.23% | -13.17% | 31.61% | -1.65% | 0.72% | 13.34% | 8.13% | -29.96% | 37.58% | 11.52% | 7.26% | 0.46% | 10.77% | 21.48% | 31.26% | 48.16% | 20.27% | 18.48% | 14.68% | 17.9% | 33.66% | 23.95% | 55.8% | -20.23% | - |
| Net Income (Continuing) | 599.01M | 587.08M | 465.69M | 325.13M | 940.52M | 844.25M | 506.42M | 576.97M | 664.5M | 504.89M | 513.38M | 509.7M | 449.71M | 415.9M | 593.8M | 431.61M | 387.03M | 360.83M | 359.18M | 324.26M | 266.93M | 203.36M | 137.25M | 107.37M | 89.8M | 83.99M | 71.24M | 53.3M | 43M | 11.5M | 32.4M |
| Discontinued Operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minority Interest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPS (Diluted) | 4.95 | 4.83 | 3.86 | 2.72 | 7.40 | 6.31 | 3.72 | 4.19 | 4.73 | 3.57 | 3.59 | 3.51 | 3.05 | 2.65 | 3.67 | 2.62 | 2.33 | 2.13 | 2.08 | 1.86 | 1.53 | 1.16 | 0.79 | 0.62 | 0.52 | 0.47 | 0.41 | 0.32 | 0.26 | 0.17 | 0.21 |
| EPS Growth % | 18.18% | 25.13% | 41.91% | -63.24% | 17.27% | 69.62% | -11.22% | -11.42% | 32.49% | -0.56% | 2.28% | 15.08% | 15.09% | -27.79% | 40.08% | 12.45% | 9.39% | 2.4% | 11.83% | 21.57% | 31.9% | 46.84% | 27.42% | 19.23% | 10.64% | 14.63% | 28.13% | 23.08% | 52.94% | -19.05% | - |
| EPS (Basic) | - | 4.88 | 3.89 | 2.74 | 7.48 | 6.37 | 3.74 | 4.21 | 4.78 | 3.59 | 3.60 | 3.52 | 3.06 | 2.65 | 3.68 | 2.63 | 2.35 | 2.15 | 2.12 | 1.90 | 1.56 | 1.20 | 0.81 | 0.64 | 0.53 | 0.48 | 0.41 | 0.33 | 0.26 | 0.17 | 0.21 |
| Diluted Shares Outstanding | 121.01M | 121.5M | 120.68M | 119.68M | 127.15M | 133.83M | 136.17M | 137.74M | 140.41M | 141.38M | 142.99M | 145.35M | 147.54M | 157.08M | 161.95M | 164.74M | 165.97M | 169.19M | 172.73M | 174.04M | 174.79M | 174.7M | 173.14M | 172.14M | 171.51M | 171.55M | 171.43M | 166.01M | 165.24M | 162.35M | 167.2M |
| Basic Shares Outstanding | 119.8M | 120.24M | 119.81M | 118.55M | 125.74M | 132.48M | 135.53M | 136.96M | 139.01M | 140.61M | 142.71M | 144.97M | 147.2M | 156.91M | 161.56M | 164.11M | 164.91M | 167.69M | 169.06M | 170.49M | 170.89M | 170.05M | 169.23M | 168.77M | 168.74M | 168.75M | 169.06M | 164.91M | 164.86M | 162.35M | 167.2M |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | - | 51.33% | 63.3% | 89.68% | 30.34% | 32.85% | 41.46% | 48.15% | 39.91% | 51.14% | 47.81% | 46.23% | 47.81% | 52.96% | 46.37% | 45.11% | 43.64% | 45.14% | 42.09% | 38.61% | 34.03% | 25.3% | 29.8% | 23.7% | 21.04% | 20.12% | 18.86% | 21.58% | 17.21% | 378.26% | 22.25% |
Freight cycle margin compression
As reported in recent financial statements, C.H. Robinson's top-line performance remains under pressure, with revenue growth consistently negative over the last ten quarters, including a 0.8% decline in 2026Q1, reflecting the ongoing challenges of a prolonged freight recession and diminished pricing power across its core brokerage segments.
The consistent negative revenue growth suggests that the company is struggling to find volume offsets in a market characterized by oversupplied carrier capacity. Investors should monitor whether this trend indicates a structural loss of market share to digital-first competitors or merely a cyclical trough that will eventually revert as industrial demand stabilizes.
Based on reported figures, the company's gross margin has fluctuated within a narrow band, reaching 7.7% in 2026Q1, which highlights the inherent difficulty of expanding spreads in a brokerage model where purchased transportation costs remain the primary and most volatile component of the total cost structure.
The inability to consistently push gross margins above the 8.5% threshold suggests that the company lacks significant pricing power in the current loose freight environment. This margin profile warrants further investigation into whether the company's 'Fit-for-Growth' strategy can successfully drive operational efficiencies that translate into higher net revenue retention.
According to the income statement data, operating income has failed to scale meaningfully relative to gross profit, with operating margins hovering between 2.5% and 5.3% over the last ten quarters, indicating that SG&A expenses remain a significant drag on the company's ability to convert gross profit into earnings.
The lack of clear operating leverage suggests that the company's current cost structure is relatively fixed, likely due to the high personnel requirements of its human-in-the-loop brokerage model. Future performance may depend on whether management can successfully automate routine tasks to decouple headcount growth from shipment volume.
As evidenced by the quarterly data, stock-based compensation remains a consistent feature of the expense profile, with $28.3 million recorded in 2026Q1, which may indicate that the company relies heavily on equity-based incentives to retain the talent necessary to manage its complex, decentralized carrier relationships.
While the company maintains a relatively clean income statement without significant non-operating anomalies, the persistent use of stock-based compensation dilutes the quality of reported net income. Investors should assess whether these expenses are effectively aligned with long-term productivity gains or if they represent a recurring cost of doing business in a competitive labor market.
Based on the provided financial data, the company's reliance on transactional spreads leaves it vulnerable to further margin compression, as evidenced by the 2023Q4 net margin low of 0.7%, which underscores the risk that the company's profitability is highly sensitive to spot-to-contract rate volatility.
Short-sellers might focus on the company's inability to demonstrate a clear inflection point in profitability despite strategic shifts. The risk remains that the company's legacy model is becoming increasingly commoditized, potentially forcing a permanent reset in valuation multiples if volume growth does not return to positive territory.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying CHRW stock.
For fiscal year 2025, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) reported total revenue of $16.23B. This represents a 910.8% increase compared to $1.61B in 1996.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) is profitable, generating $587.1M in net income for the fiscal year ending 2025 with a net profit margin of 3.6%.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) reported an operating income of $795.0M, resulting in an operating profit margin of 4.9%. This margin reflects the operational efficiency of the business before interest and taxes.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) generated $1.36B in gross profit for the year, representing a gross profit margin of 8.4%. This demonstrates the company's core pricing power and production efficiency.