Empowered Funds LLC Makes New $10.25 Million Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 35,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,248,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $261.03 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.12 and a 1-year high of $299.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $277.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $252.50.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.50%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total value of $200,446.39. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,252.70. The trade was a 47.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total value of $426,015.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,881 shares in the company, valued at $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on JBHT. Stephens lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.30.

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.