J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 52-Week Low on Insider Selling

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $151.60 and last traded at $153.98, with a volume of 45420 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $154.18.

Specifically, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.84.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.6 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $169.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.17. The company has a market capitalization of $15.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.52, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.65%.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,618,000. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% during the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $104,113,000 after purchasing an additional 606,484 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $163,237,000 after purchasing an additional 503,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% during the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $36,502,000 after purchasing an additional 205,360 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently 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.