Brokerages Set J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Price Target at $166.30

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $166.30.

JBHT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Susquehanna lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $172.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $164.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total value of $579,726.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 13,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,353,957.20. This trade represents a 19.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total transaction of $1,098,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 12,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,192,944. This trade represents a 33.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 12,725 shares of company stock valued at $2,237,846 in the last 90 days. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% in the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $188.41 on Thursday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $190.95. The company has a market capitalization of $17.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $161.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $149.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 4.75%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.50%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.