Renaissance Technologies LLC Invests $16.89 Million in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 105,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,887,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.10% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.6% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 14,347 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.7% during the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,310 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 593 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.3% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 36,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,196,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT opened at $169.01 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.12 and a 1 year high of $219.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $171.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.44 billion, a PE ratio of 26.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 14.77%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.30%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.03, for a total transaction of $525,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,476,674.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.03, for a total transaction of $525,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,476,674.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Persio V. Lisboa bought 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $163.47 per share, for a total transaction of $98,082.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $587,511.18. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on JBHT shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $184.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $191.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.88.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.