Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Citigroup from $278.00 to $309.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 3.55% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citizens Jmp began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna set a $345.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.30.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 8.0%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $22.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $298.41. The stock had a trading volume of 2,452,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,018,448. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $272.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $237.17. The firm has a market cap of $28.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $130.12 and a 12-month high of $299.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. This trade represents a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total transaction of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,002,802. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095 over the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.B. Hunt beat Q2 expectations, reporting EPS of $1.91 versus the $1.71 consensus and revenue of $3.50 billion versus $3.26 billion expected, with revenue up 19.4% year over year and net earnings rising to $181 million. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Results were driven by intermodal growth, stronger pricing, and cost discipline, with record quarterly intermodal volumes helping lift operating income and margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive after the report, including JPMorgan raising its price target to $313 from $280 with an overweight rating, and Robert W. Baird lifting its target to $320 with an outperform rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional target increases from Barclays to $300 and TD Cowen to $297 reinforce the view that recent results support further upside, though some firms still have more neutral ratings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other commentary suggests the stock is already trading near record highs, so some investors may be weighing the strong execution against a richer valuation. Article Title

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.