Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes $9.32 Million Position in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 209,063 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,315,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HUBG. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Hub Group by 286.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Hub Group by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Hub Group by 35.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,568 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Hub Group during the third quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in Hub Group during the fourth quarter worth about $216,000. 46.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hub Group Stock Up 1.8 %

HUBG opened at $37.47 on Friday. Hub Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.04 and a 52 week high of $53.21. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $41.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04 and a beta of 0.93.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Hub Group had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 7.10%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hub Group, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Hub Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Hub Group’s payout ratio is 29.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HUBG. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Hub Group from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $41.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Hub Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $55.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Hub Group from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hub Group from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.82.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.