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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $171.30.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $147.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th.

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

In related news, EVP Brian Webb sold 796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.11, for a total transaction of $150,531.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,968,459.67. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.04, for a total value of $380,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,796,029.96. The trade was a 6.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $198.28 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $204.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.88 billion, a PE ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The firm had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

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

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.