Brokerages Set J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) PT at $184.05

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $184.05.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on JBHT. UBS Group decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $147.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $171.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $144.34 and a 52-week high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.