UBS Group AG Boosts Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT – Get Rating) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 119,435 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,361 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.12% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $20,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $100,437,000. Interval Partners LP acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,813,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,067.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 201,622 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,483,000 after buying an additional 192,319 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $24,514,000. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 36.3% during the 4th quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 391,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $22,512,000 after buying an additional 104,127 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.93% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $170.69 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.92 and a 52-week high of $200.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $172.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 17th. The transportation company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.12 by ($0.23). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 25.85%. The business had revenue of $3.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 19.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.30, for a total value of $210,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,210 shares in the company, valued at $212,113. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.30, for a total value of $210,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $212,113. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stuart Lockard Scott sold 2,458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.34, for a total value of $438,359.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 29,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,194,330.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,158 shares of company stock worth $1,264,895. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $204.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $172.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $197.00 to $194.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.67.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

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J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc engages in the provision of logistics solutions. It operates through the following segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS) and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight operations for rail carriers.