Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its target price increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $201.00 to $205.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 20th. Benchmark boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $212.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $227.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.45.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $214.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.81. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $236.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $215.50 and a 200 day moving average of $187.59. The firm has a market cap of $20.33 billion, a PE ratio of 35.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.22.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $287,937.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $831,933. This trade represents a 25.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total value of $613,584.86. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 90,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,241,526.46. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 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.