J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Announces Earnings Results
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyJ.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT – Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by ($0.19), Zacks reports. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.4%
Shares of JBHT stock traded down $5.44 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $224.17. 1,469,415 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,012,825. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $122.79 and a fifty-two week high of $236.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market cap of $21.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.51, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.22.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 29.32%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $208.86.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on J.B. Hunt Transport Services
Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services
In related news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.68, for a total value of $225,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 17,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,046,668.08. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total value of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at $3,862,800. The trade was a 11.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,643 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,314,000 after acquiring an additional 6,668 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 433,661 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $64,160,000 after purchasing an additional 13,729 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at about $539,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.
About J.B. Hunt Transport Services
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.
In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.