J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Citizens Jmp

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) was upgraded by equities researchers at Citizens Jmp from a “market perform” rating to a “market outperform” rating in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $300.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 26.73% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $335.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $340.00 to $302.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $285.92.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 13.3%

JBHT stock opened at $236.73 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $273.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $256.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $22.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a twelve month low of $130.12 and a twelve month high of $299.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. The business 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 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm’s revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.31 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,833,602,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth approximately $891,349,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $200,587,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $287,581,000. Finally, Park Presidio Capital LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $218,096,000. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

More J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained an “overweight” rating, although it lowered its price target from $335 to $305. The revised target still implies substantial upside from the recent trading level. Wells Fargo price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: J.B. Hunt’s warning came during a Morgan Stanley conference, providing investors with updated management commentary rather than a formal quarterly earnings report. Analysts and investors are reassessing forecasts ahead of the results. Morgan Stanley conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Management expects third-quarter earnings to fall 5% to 10%, citing higher fuel prices and cost pressures. The outlook raised concerns that diesel inflation will reduce margins and profitability across J.B. Hunt’s transportation businesses. CNBC earnings warning
• Negative Sentiment: The fuel-cost warning pressured other trucking stocks as well, suggesting investors view the issue as an industry-wide risk rather than a problem limited to J.B. Hunt. Transportation sector reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm announced an investigation into potential securities-law violations involving J.B. Hunt, adding legal and headline risk for shareholders. Zacks also downgraded the stock from “strong buy” to “hold.” Rosen Law Firm investigation

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Through its operating segments, the company provides freight transportation, logistics and supply-chain services to customers across North America.

Its principal businesses include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and trucking; dedicated contract services, which provides customized transportation and fleet-management solutions; and integrated capacity solutions, which matches customer freight with available transportation capacity.