J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $194.24.

JBHT has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $204.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $177.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $168.11 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $160.07 and a 52-week high of $219.51. The company has a market cap of $17.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $186.80 and its 200 day moving average is $190.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total transaction of $1,382,615.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 42,411 shares in the company, valued at $9,021,243.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total transaction of $1,382,615.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,021,243.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 754 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.79, for a total value of $159,689.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,090.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,454 shares of company stock worth $3,283,219. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 485.4% in the 1st quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 5,948 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,185,000 after buying an additional 4,932 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.9% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 19,399 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,865,000 after acquiring an additional 2,369 shares in the last quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.3% in the first quarter. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. now owns 209,509 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,745,000 after purchasing an additional 12,462 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the first quarter worth $293,000. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 533.1% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 22,999 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,583,000 after purchasing an additional 19,366 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.