J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on JBHT. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $214.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $174.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $206.75 on Thursday. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $192.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $122.79 and a fifty-two week high of $212.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that allows the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the transportation company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 1,588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.29, for a total transaction of $300,592.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $104,109.50. This represents a 74.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total value of $579,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 13,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 quarter, insiders have sold 23,457 shares of company stock valued at $4,413,991. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,993 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,434,000 after purchasing an additional 635,172 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $91,094,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $358,510,000 after purchasing an additional 416,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Presidio Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the second 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. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.45 (2.3% increase), payable Feb. 20 with an ex-dividend/record date of Feb. 6 — reinforces cash return policy and signals confidence in cash flow. J. B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Announces Increase to Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and coverage pushed the stock to a new 12‑month high after firms raised price targets and reiterated overweight/outperform views — supports further upside from improved sentiment. J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (Jim Cramer) saying J.B. Hunt could “make a fortune” when freight turns around likely adds retail interest and momentum. Jim Cramer Says “When the Freight Market Turns Around, J.B.Hunt Should Be Able to Make a Fortune”
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is mixed-to-positive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”); some firms raised targets substantially while others remain cautious — implies upside but not unanimous. MarketBeat JBHT Coverage Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders sold stock this week: EVP Bradley W. Hicks sold 3,919 shares at ~$210; EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares at ~$207; COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares at ~$201. Collective insider selling can be interpreted as a near-term negative signal, though insiders still retain sizable holdings. Bradley W. Hicks Insider Sale Filing SEC Filing (Hicks)
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sale filings: Ronald Greer Woodruff (SEC filing) and COO Nicholas Hobbs sold shares in separate transactions, reducing individual stakes by double-digit and low-single-digit percentages respectively — could add selling pressure. SEC Filing (Woodruff) COO Nicholas Hobbs Insider Sale

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.