The Idiot Index

Sector
Shareholder ExtractionApplied to airlines, parcel delivery, freight rail, and trucking. COGS captures fuel, crew, equipment maintenance, and direct operations. Capital intensity is high (fleets, terminals, networks); Operational Markup is the load-bearing signal because pure Markup ignores the…

Shareholder Extraction in Transportation · FY 2023

3 of 30 companies · highest first
  1. 1
    GBXGreenbrier
    $8.83 to shareholders for every $1 in R&D
    sector median 2.2363Top 17%
    8.8254
    × buybacks+dividends / R&D
  2. 2
    ARCBArcBest
    $2.24 to shareholders for every $1 in R&D
    sector median 2.2363Median range
    2.2363
    × buybacks+dividends / R&D
  3. 3
    WABWabtec
    $2.23 to shareholders for every $1 in R&D
    sector median 2.2363Bottom 17%
    2.2273
    × buybacks+dividends / R&D

Not yet covered (27)

These companies are in the Transportation cohort but don't have a Shareholder Extraction computed for FY 2023. Either the underlying inputs aren't tagged in their XBRL filings, the DEF 14A pay-ratio narrative didn't parse cleanly, or this fiscal year hasn't been ingested for them yet.

What this measures

Full methodology →

Dollars sent to shareholders for every dollar invested in R&D.

Ratio
Shareholder Extraction
Sector
Transportation
Methodology version
v1.0.0
Formula
(Buybacks + Dividends) / R&DExpense
Sector context

Applied to airlines, parcel delivery, freight rail, and trucking. COGS captures fuel, crew, equipment maintenance, and direct operations. Capital intensity is high (fleets, terminals, networks); Operational Markup is the load-bearing signal because pure Markup ignores the depreciation and SG&A required to keep the network running. Labor Share is closely watched in this sector — most transport firms are unionized.

Whether the company invests in future productive capacity or extracts current value to shareholders. A ratio above 3.0 typically indicates an extraction-dominant capital allocation policy. A ratio below 1.0 indicates the company is investing more in its future than returning to shareholders.

Source data: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock, PaymentsOfDividends, ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense (us-gaap) or equivalents in IFRS.