J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.20 EPS

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $4.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $276.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,456,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,006,913. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $294.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $271.66 and its 200-day moving average is $236.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total transaction of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. The trade was a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total value of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares in the company, valued at $1,188,752.80. This trade represents a 30.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, McMillan Office Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $212.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $227.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $290.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.22.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.