J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Price Target Raised to $220.00 at Benchmark

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its price objective hoisted by Benchmark from $212.00 to $220.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $153.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup lowered J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $175.00 to $221.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.4%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $203.50 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $209.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $189.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.68.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.54, for a total value of $179,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 7,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,264,500.22. This trade represents a 12.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total transaction of $579,726.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 13,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,353,957.20. This trade represents a 19.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew 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 last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the 2nd 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 period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% in 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 period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.