J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Up 19.0% in February

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,974,595 shares, a growth of 19.0% from the January 29th total of 2,500,314 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,464,482 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,464,482 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $227.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Argus raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $203.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 3.6%

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $226.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.23. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $214.00 and a 200 day moving average of $178.83. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $236.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.32%.

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

In other news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.68, for a total transaction of $225,680.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 17,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,046,668.08. This trade represents a 5.28% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,862,800. This trade represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,329 shares of company stock valued at $6,107,619 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.2% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 125,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,883,000 after purchasing an additional 3,890 shares in the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,815,000 after buying an additional 9,345 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,627,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $433,000. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 145.6% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 21,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,910,000 after acquiring an additional 12,857 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

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.