J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $165.55.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $157.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $172.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $164.85 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock has a market cap of $15.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business’s 50 day moving average is $141.14 and its 200-day moving average is $141.09.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 4.75%.The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 418.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.