J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 192,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,023 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.19% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $32,888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 237 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total transaction of $26,494.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,904. This represents a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total value of $1,100,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,092,976.08. This represents a 6.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,545 shares of company stock worth $1,898,942. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $167.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $174.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.12 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.94%.

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.