J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ (JBHT) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens reaffirmed their overweight rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $205.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on JBHT. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.67.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 7.4 %

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $172.45 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $153.12 and a fifty-two week high of $219.51. The stock has a market cap of $17.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $1,100,820.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 82,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,092,976.08. This represents a 6.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total transaction of $306,450.18. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares in the company, valued at $1,563,579.45. This trade represents a 16.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,459 shares of company stock valued at $2,136,277. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 237 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

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.