Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $37.85 Million Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 194,755 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,577 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.20% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $37,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Susquehanna raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Argus upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of JBHT opened at $209.10 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $215.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.23. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $236.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.32%.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.68, for a total value of $225,680.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 17,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,046,668.08. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at $3,862,800. This trade represents a 11.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.