J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Price Target Raised to $172.00

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its price target upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $147.00 to $172.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Barclays increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $172.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $227.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.30.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $196.42 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $204.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $18.70 billion, a PE ratio of 34.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $172.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.10.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.30. The firm had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 30.50%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 22nd that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.54, for a total value of $179,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 7,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,264,500.22. The trade was a 12.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brian Webb sold 796 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.11, for a total transaction of $150,531.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,697 shares in the company, valued at $2,968,459.67. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,109 shares of company stock worth $2,688,970. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the first 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 increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.