Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 6,311 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 178,603 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 6,311 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $37,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,993 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $195,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,047 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $110,434,000 after purchasing an additional 635,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $145,245,000 after purchasing an additional 546,880 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $279.96 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $270.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.34, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.12 and a 52 week high of $294.98.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.31 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, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total transaction of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares in the company, valued at $225,252.70. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total value of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares in the company, valued at $1,188,752.80. The trade was a 30.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095 in the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on JBHT shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $235.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $212.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $236.00 to $278.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.65.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.