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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $164.9048.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $159.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Baird R W upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $142.75 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.70. The company has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,447,993 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $91,094,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $718,015,000 after purchasing an additional 616,986 shares in the last quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the 2nd quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,337,000 after purchasing an additional 401,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 178.9% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 428,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $61,562,000 after purchasing an additional 275,017 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.