Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys New Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 45,790 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,815,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Susquehanna raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $188.60.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $149.00 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $168.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $173.69. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.00 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.