C.H. Robinson's quarterly profit beats estimates on cost-control measures

CH Robinson Worldwide

29/04/2026 21:43

April 29 (Reuters) - Freight forwarding firm C.H. Robinson's CHRW.O first-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, helped by its use of AI agents to bring down costs, sending its shares up about 4% in after-hours trading.

Over the last few quarters, the company has reduced its headcount and increased its reliance on artificial intelligence for routine functions such as pricing shipments, coordinating pickups and deliveries and monitoring cargo in transit.

That approach has helped the largest U.S. freight broker keep its margins better insulated from a prolonged lull in demand that has weighed on rates and impacted most trucking firms' earnings.

The company posted an adjusted profit per share of $1.35 in the first quarter, above analysts' expectations of $1.24, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Quarterly revenue, however, fell 0.8% from a year earlier to $4.01 billion. Analysts on average expected $4.03 billion.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam and Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)

((Nandan.Mandayam@thomsonreuters.com; Mobile: +91 9591011727;))