# How Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/odfl
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on ODFL alone. It places ODFL (Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where ODFL stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: ODFL's full trading record, from October 1991 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** ODFL has gone against the market, falling 15.5% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. The slide is ODFL's own: it is 24.2% below its high, against 1.3% for the S&P 500.
- **Stock or market?:** Not a move of its own: the freight & logistics ETF IYT (iShares U.S. Transportation ETF) fell 9.3% over the past 3 months, with XPO (XPO Logistics, down 11.3%) and JBHT (J.B. Hunt Transport Services, down 22.0%), while the S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Last month cut against the tape: ODFL rose 7.4% while the S&P 500 fell 0.6%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, ODFL rose 34.7% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. That said, the long record (ahead of 92% of the stocks worth at least $300 million over 10 years) has not carried into the past 3 years (behind 78% of them).
- **Long term:** ODFL turned $10,000 into $84,700 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. On the flip side, over 5 years ODFL trailed the index: 23.4% against 81.7%.
- **In a crash:** Across seven sell-offs, ODFL has typically fallen 1.3 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, ODFL has a correlation of 0.57 over 5 years, more closely than 85% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is some diversification, but not a hedge.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** UNP (Union Pacific), EXPD (Expeditors International of Washington) and FDX (FedEx) earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** PCAR (PACCAR, commercial vehicles) and DTM (DT Midstream, oil & gas midstream) earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. PCAR returned 17.9% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%.
  - **Whole market:** 1,262 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

## How much would $10,000 in ODFL have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in ODFL over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of ODFL over the same span and ODFL's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in ODFL at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $2,149,322 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of ODFL, and MNST finished highest, at $45,663,831.

## ODFL at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- ODFL is still 24.2% below its all-time high.
- ODFL's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 66.3%, from May 1994 to December 1995. It took about seven years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, ODFL's best was 2002, when it returned 125%, and its worst was 1998, when it lost 25.4%. It lost money in ten of those years.

- Type: Stock, Industrials (Trucking)
- Trading since: October 24, 1991
- Market value: $39B
- Volatility (5 years): 36.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.30
- Worst decline ever: −66.3%, from May 13, 1994 to December 27, 1995; back at its high by October 17, 2002

| Period | ODFL total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +7.4% |
| 3 months | −18.6% |
| 6 months | −15.5% |
| year to date | +18.8% |
| 1 year | +34.7% |
| 3 years | −2.5% |
| 5 years | +23.4% |
| 10 years | +747% |

## ODFL against the whole market

Where ODFL ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does ODFL rank among all stocks?

This section ranks ODFL on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- ODFL's 10-year return ranks in the top 8% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.
- ODFL's 3-year return ranks in the bottom 22% of the 3,017 stocks worth at least $300 million with 3 years of history.

| Measure | ODFL | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +34.7% | 863 of 3,287 (top 27%) |
| 3-year return | −2.5% | 2,363 of 3,017 (top 79%) |
| 5-year return | +23.4% | 1,411 of 2,893 (top 49%) |
| 10-year return | +747% | 174 of 2,202 (top 8%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 36.9% | 1,271 of 2,893 (top 44%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.30 | 1,549 of 2,893 (top 54%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −45.2% | 296 of 2,187 (top 14%) |

### What has beaten ODFL on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 620 stocks and 642 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than ODFL over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 35% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half ODFL's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 33% less than ODFL's 36.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.30 for ODFL. MPC earned the most, 51.2% a year, while still swinging less than ODFL (33.4% against 36.9%).
- Among ODFL's popular alternatives, EXPD, FDX and CSX are in the region. EXPD earned 12.0% a year against 4.3% a year for ODFL, at 27.1% volatility, 27% less than ODFL's 36.9%.

### Is there a better investment than ODFL?

The table below lists investments that beat ODFL over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among ODFL's popular alternatives, UNP, EXPD and FDX earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, PCAR (commercial vehicles) and DTM (oil & gas midstream) earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. PCAR returned 17.9% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%.
- Across the whole market, 1,262 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and MSFT.

The 15 strongest of 1,262 investments that beat ODFL over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with ODFL | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ODFL: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (this page) |  | +4.3% | 36.9% | 0.30 | −45.2% | +747% |  |  |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | Computer Hardware | +18.5% | 28.0% | 0.75 | −38.5% | +1,168% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | US Total Market | +11.5% | 17.5% | 0.71 | −35.0% | +302% | 0.60 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | US Large-Cap Equity | +12.8% | 16.9% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +324% | 0.57 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [WMT](https://easycompare.io/research/wmt): Walmart Inc. | Discount Retail | +20.8% | 22.6% | 0.96 | −25.7% | +508% | 0.32 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [V](https://easycompare.io/research/v): Visa Inc. | Payment Processing | +12.8% | 22.9% | 0.64 | −36.4% | +429% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.35 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [KO](https://easycompare.io/research/ko): The Coca-Cola Company | Food & Beverages | +14.7% | 16.8% | 0.91 | −37.0% | +204% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| BALT: Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | Crypto | +6.3% | 3.3% | 1.85 | −4.9% | — | 0.44 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## ODFL against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against ODFL, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do ODFL's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Six of the 20 popular alternatives, led by EXPD, FDX and CHRW, were both more rewarding and calmer than ODFL over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, ODFL returned 4.3% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (36.9% against 17.1%).

### Has ODFL consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares ODFL with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Seven of the 22 popular alternatives, led by XPO, ARCB and EXPD, outperformed ODFL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- EXPD, CSX and CHRW earned more for the risk they took than ODFL (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of ODFL | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ODFL: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (this page) | +34.7% | −2.5% | +23.4% | +747% |  |  | 0.30 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | +39.6% | +159% | +278% | +1,467% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 0.80 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | +73.5% | +39.6% | +56.1% | +633% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.43 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | +66.5% | +78.4% | +76.6% | +349% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.56 |
| [FDX](https://easycompare.io/research/fdx): FedEx Corporation | +56.7% | +63.1% | +76.6% | +156% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.52 |
| [CSX](https://easycompare.io/research/csx): CSX Corporation | +32.8% | +63.0% | +49.3% | +446% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.46 |
| [UNP](https://easycompare.io/research/unp): Union Pacific Corporation | +29.2% | +45.4% | +41.2% | +295% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.42 |
| CVLG: Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | +36.6% | +41.1% | +78.3% | +285% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.49 |
| SNDR: Schneider National, Inc. | +32.6% | +20.9% | +35.1% | — | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | +7.5% | −12.9% | +25.2% | +1,050% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.35 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | +12.0% | +76.2% | +60.0% | +157% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| RXO: RXO, Inc. | +58.0% | +52.3% | — | — | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | — |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | +34.6% | +28.2% | +23.3% | +156% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | +37.9% | +32.2% | +21.6% | +220% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.28 |
| LSTR: Landstar System, Inc. | +30.5% | +5.2% | +11.2% | +190% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | +17.6% | −1.6% | +5.2% | +537% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| [UPS](https://easycompare.io/research/ups): United Parcel Service, Inc. | +20.8% | −23.0% | −36.1% | +35.4% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.17 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | +7.2% | −17.2% | −29.9% | +66.8% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.07 |
| ULH: Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. | −16.7% | −28.8% | −20.2% | +58.7% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.22 |
| HTLD: Heartland Express, Inc. | +24.3% | −29.0% | −36.2% | −38.6% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.12 |
| PAMT: Pamt Corp. | −5.1% | — | — | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| MRTN: Marten Transport, Ltd. | +17.6% | −29.3% | −19.0% | +94.7% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | −28.8% | −29.8% | −27.6% | +38.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.00 |

### How did ODFL do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where ODFL ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- None of the 20 popular alternatives came out ahead of ODFL in most of the years they have in common.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, ODFL finished in the top quarter in 13 of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in no. In 2025, it ranked 11 of 23.
- ODFL finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 18 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.

| Year | ODFL | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | −10.5% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −12.5% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +43.5% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −20.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +84.2% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +54.8% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +54.3% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −5.8% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +53.9% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +45.3% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How ODFL has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were ODFL's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of ODFL's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: ODFL fell 66.3% from May 1994 to December 1995, while the S&P 500 rose 44.2%.
- The slowest recovery came after ODFL fell 66.3% from May 1994 to December 1995; it did not regain that peak until October 2002, seven years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −66.3% | May 13, 1994 | December 27, 1995 | October 17, 2002 | +44.2% |  |
| −50.8% | July 3, 2006 | November 20, 2008 | July 28, 2010 | −38.3% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −45.2% | November 11, 2024 | November 20, 2025 | June 3, 2026 | +10.3% |  |
| −37.6% | November 28, 2014 | January 20, 2016 | November 11, 2016 | −8.0% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |
| −36.1% | December 7, 2021 | June 17, 2022 | February 1, 2023 | −21.0% | 2022 bear market |

### How did ODFL do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far ODFL, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- ODFL fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when ODFL fell 31.0% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.
- Among its popular alternatives, CHRW held up best, falling less than ODFL in all ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | ODFL fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −33.3% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −50.7% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −3.6% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −26.2% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −31.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −10.3% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −28.4% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −28.6% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −34.5% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −6.0% | −3.4% |

### How closely does ODFL move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- None of the 19 popular alternatives with the same record had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than ODFL's 1.19.
- Over the past 10 years, ODFL captured 127% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 107% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.10. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ODFL: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (this page) | 127% | 107% | 1.10 |
| XPO: XPO Logistics, Inc. | 190% | 185% | 2.03 |
| ARCB: ArcBest Corp | 155% | 166% | 1.68 |
| EXPD: Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | 118% | 135% | 0.95 |
| [FDX](https://easycompare.io/research/fdx): FedEx Corporation | 116% | 166% | 1.29 |
| [CSX](https://easycompare.io/research/csx): CSX Corporation | 118% | 117% | 1.19 |
| [UNP](https://easycompare.io/research/unp): Union Pacific Corporation | 104% | 119% | 1.05 |
| CVLG: Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | 133% | 171% | 1.51 |
| SAIA: Saia, Inc. | 169% | 162% | 1.73 |
| CHRW: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. | 87.0% | 106% | 0.84 |
| KNX: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | 111% | 156% | 1.25 |
| JBHT: J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | 109% | 137% | 1.18 |
| LSTR: Landstar System, Inc. | 92.0% | 108% | 0.95 |
| TFII: TFI International Inc. | 150% | 159% | 1.58 |
| [UPS](https://easycompare.io/research/ups): United Parcel Service, Inc. | 85.0% | 149% | 1.08 |
| WERN: Werner Enterprises, Inc. | 99.0% | 151% | 1.06 |
| ULH: Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. | 106% | 176% | 1.13 |
| HTLD: Heartland Express, Inc. | 66.0% | 155% | 0.96 |
| MRTN: Marten Transport, Ltd. | 81.0% | 117% | 0.97 |
| HUBG: Hub Group, Inc. | 100% | 167% | 1.13 |

### What diversifies ODFL?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in ODFL into GLD would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+4.5% for ODFL alone, +8.2% for the mix).
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of ODFL over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.49 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.
- CAH made money in six of the ten calendar years in which ODFL lost money.

| Investment | Correlation with ODFL | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in ODFL's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.44 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 3 of 10 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.35 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 10 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.49 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 10 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.46 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 10 |
| EWP: iShares MSCI Spain ETF | 0.31 | +140% | 20.3% | 0.97 | 5 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.41 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.16 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 4 of 10 |
| IOO: iShares Global 100 ETF | 0.44 | +107% | 17.2% | 0.94 | 4 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was ODFL's worst drawdown?

ODFL's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 66.3%, from May 1994 to December 1995. It took about seven years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were ODFL's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, ODFL's best year was 2002, when it returned 125%. Its worst was 1998, with a return of -25.4%.

### Is there a better investment than ODFL?

Among ODFL's popular alternatives, UNP, EXPD and FDX earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. UNP returned 7.1% a year at 22.9% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, PCAR (commercial vehicles) and DTM (oil & gas midstream) earned more than ODFL with less volatility over the past 5 years. PCAR returned 17.9% a year at 26.1% volatility, against 4.3% a year at 36.9%.

### Is ODFL more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. ODFL's volatility over the past 5 years was 36.9%, 2.2 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, ODFL's return lands within 36.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is ODFL's Sharpe ratio?

ODFL's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.30, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so ODFL earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is ODFL with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, ODFL's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.57 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against ODFL instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a ODFL holding.

### What are the best alternatives to ODFL?

Of the 22 popular alternatives we compared, seven outperformed ODFL in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: XPO, ARCB and EXPD.

### Did ODFL outperform the S&P 500?

ODFL finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 18 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned -10.5%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did ODFL do in stock market crashes?

ODFL fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the 2015 China and oil sell-off, when ODFL fell 31.0% and the S&P 500 fell 12.8%.

### What diversifies ODFL?

These had a low correlation with ODFL over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.44), DXJ (correlation 0.35) and EMLP (correlation 0.49); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.16), CLS (correlation 0.22) and MCK (correlation 0.18). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/odfl
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against ODFL live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=ODFL&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research