J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $162.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT stock opened at $148.05 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $14.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.63, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $139.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.