J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $191.11.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group lowered their target price 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 note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $169.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $175.79 and its 200 day moving average is $174.74. The stock has a market cap of $17.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.15. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $153.12 and a 52-week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 30.94%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total transaction of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,904. This represents a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total value of $1,100,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at $15,092,976.08. This trade represents a 6.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,545 shares of company stock valued at $1,898,942 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% during the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 388 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.