MetLife Investment Management LLC Cuts Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,972 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 797 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $3,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 382.1% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth $31,000. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total value of $306,450.18. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,563,579.45. This trade represents a 16.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,314 shares of company stock worth $1,008,962 in the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $189.24 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $153.12 and a one year high of $219.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.14.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 13.92%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $190.11.

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.