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

Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Argus set a $285.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.30.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.3%

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $291.41 on Thursday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $299.76. The stock has a market cap of $27.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $274.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.25.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. This trade represents a 31.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total transaction of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,281,125.62. This trade represents a 24.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 500.0% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 150 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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

• Positive Sentiment: JBHT was added to Zacks’ “Strong Buy” momentum list, signaling improving technical and fundamental momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for July 17th
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets after the earnings beat, including JPMorgan, Robert W. Baird, Barclays, Citigroup, and TD Cowen, reflecting confidence in the recovery and margin improvement.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted shrinking trucking capacity and a shift toward intermodal freight, which could support stronger pricing and volume trends for JBHT. J.B. Hunt Stock Could Reach $340 as Trucking Capacity Shrinks
• Positive Sentiment: JBHT was also featured on relative-strength and momentum screens, indicating that investors see it as one of the stronger names in a choppy market. 5 Top Stocks With Relative Price Strength to Buy Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: One Zacks article cautioned that while earnings growth and estimate revisions support the rally, the stock’s premium valuation means investors should remain selective. Is JBHT Stock too Expensive or Still Attractive After Its Rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains constructive, with coverage still centered around a “Moderate Buy” view.

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.