C.H. Robinson reports third-quarter profit and revenue above forecasts

Shares were down 1.5% at $141.41 in pre-market trading, before the regular session opens at 9:30 AM Eastern.

C.H. Robinson reported third-quarter earnings of $1.80 per share, $0.01 above expectations. Revenue came in at $5.36 billion, against $5.01 billion expected.

Dave Bozeman, the company's president and chief executive, said its Lean operating model and AI technology will drive a successful integration of RXO. He said the result will differ from past acquisitions in the industry. He pointed to the same tools, which he said have already transformed the company's NAST and Global Forwarding businesses.

The market's biggest worry about the deal is that gains from scale could be eaten by integration costs, as they have been in past freight-brokerage tie-ups. Bozeman's remarks address that worry directly, by pointing to tools the company credits for results at NAST and Global Forwarding.

C.H. Robinson expects its full-year 2026 effective tax rate, the share of profit paid in tax, to be between 18% and 20%. It expects capital expenditure, or spending on long-term assets, of $65 million to $75 million in 2026. The company has promised $300 million in synergies, meaning savings and gains from combining the two businesses, and a nine-month timeline for the deal to add to earnings per share.

The beat comes as the company needs to show it can run its business well while absorbing RXO. The new tax and spending guidance gives investors a clearer base to judge whether the $300 million in synergies and the nine-month timeline hold once RXO is folded into C.H. Robinson's accounts.